Former NBA guard Mike James became the EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer on Thursday.
A Portland native, James played collegiately at Eastern Arizona College and Lamar University. Going undrafted in 2012, James began his long and winding road playing abroad by signing with Croatia’s Zagreb, Italy’s Paffoni Omegna, Greece’s Kolossos Rodou, then Spain’s Laboral Kuxta Baskonia. With Baskonia, James was exposed to his first dose of EuroLeague competition.
Mike James Becomes EuroLeague’s All-Time Leading Scorer
Scoring his 4,457th point on a pull-up two as AC Monaco faced Crvena Zvezda, Mike James passed Greek basketball legend Vassilis Spanoulis’ (4,445 career points) to become to EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer. Finally, James secured his spot in EuroLeague history with a record that could withstand the test of time. Fortunately for basketball fans, the 33-year-old doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.
THE SHOT with which Mike James made history 👏👑pic.twitter.com/x9ng0FAPKf
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) March 7, 2024
Averaging 19.3 points per game for Monaco in the EuroLeague this season, he’s playing well. In fact, it’s easy to envision James playing for a few more seasons. Not only does he have a rare passion for the sport and the drive to be great. He also has the wisdom of age.
A Successful Basketball Journey
Looking at James’ résumé, he’s no stranger to making history.
At Lamar, James broke the school’s single-game scoring record with 52 points in 2011. Only BYU’s Jimmer Fredette, who went on to become the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, had matched his game-high that season. With the previous record (50 points) standing for 31 years, his feat became all the more impressive.
The rest of his résumé may not demonstrate his penchant for breaking long-standing records. However, they do illustrate his dedication to his craft.
As a senior at Grant High School, James helped his team win the 2008 Oregon State Championship, averaging 15 points per game. At Eastern Arizona, James averaged 20.0 points per game as a freshman and 26.0 points per game his sophomore season. Recognized as one of the best JuCo prospects in the country, he earned all-conference and all-region honors both years.
Playing under Pat Knight— son of the legendary Bob Knight —at Lamar, James also scored 29 points against a Kentucky team that featured future NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, raising his pre-draft profile.
The Showstopper
Though he wouldn’t latch onto an NBA roster until 2017, signing two-way contracts with the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans, Mike James had already turned heads. First, in a 2015 Summer League showcase with the Suns that saw him averaging 12.6 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.1 percent shooting from 3. There, he impressed even Devin Booker, another lottery pick out of Kentucky.
At the time, Booker would think “’Who is this?,” per The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman. “I’ve never heard of him. Why isn’t he on an NBA team?’”
Had he been around in 2014 and 2015, when James was catching the attention of NBA players at pro-ams, he might just had been privy to who he was though. In 2014, James set a Seattle Pro-Am record with 67 points. Former NBA star Isaiah Thomas knew who he was after the auburn-haired shot-maker torched him for 50 points.
In any case, James went on to score a career-high 26 points months later while on assignment with the Suns.
Leaving the NBA for Italy’s Milano and Russia’s CSKA Moscow after the 2017-18 season, James returned to the NBA briefly in 2020-21.
Already popular among diehard NBA fans and casuals alike, he earned high praise for his play with the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant, a 14-time NBA All-Star, became particularly fond of James after he scored in double-figures several times while with Brooklyn. James even had back-to-back double-digit outings for the Nets in the postseason, stepping in for an injured James Harden.
Back to Business
Now that he’s broken the EuroLeague’s scoring record in a highly anticipated affair, James will be able to focus on just playing basketball. Recently named the EuroLeague’s February MVP, his fifth time winning MVP of the Month, James has AC Monaco playing well ahead of the playoffs. One of the EuroLeague’s most decorated players, he’ll now try to guide his team to his— and Monaco’s —first ever EuroLeague championship.
