James Alton Banks III (born January 16, 1998) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado 14 ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Rambl ...

and the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

. In 2020-21 he led the

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball co ...

in blocked shots per game.

High school career

Banks grew up playing football until eighth grade. He did not play competitive basketball until his freshman year of high school. He initially attended

Columbia High School Columbia High School may refer to: *Columbia High School (Huntsville, Alabama) *Columbia High School (Georgia) *Columbia High School (Florida) *Columbia High School (Idaho) *Columbia High School (Illinois) *Columbia High School (Mississippi), a Mis ...

DeKalb County, Georgia DeKalb County (, , ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat is Decatur. DeKalb County is inclu ...

and St. Francis High School in

Alpharetta, Georgia Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 US Census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818 The population in 2010 was 57,551. History In the 1830s, the Ch ...

. He averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds per game as a junior at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. After being ruled ineligible by the

Georgia High School Association The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) is an organization that governs athletics and activities for member high schools in Georgia, USA. GHSA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The association has 463 pu ...

for using an incorrect address, he transferred to

La Lumiere School La Lumiere School is a college preparatory boarding and day school located on a 190-acre campus in Springfield Township, LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. About La Lumiere School is affiliated with several educational associations: * C ...

La Porte, Indiana La Porte (French for "The Door") is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, India ...

for his senior year. Banks led La Lumiere to its first ever appearance at the High School Nationals title game. A consensus four-star

recruit __NOTOC__ Recruit can refer to: Military * Military recruitment * Recruit training, in the military * '' Rekrut'' (English: Recruit), a military recruit or low rank in German-speaking countries * Seaman recruit Books *''Le Réquisitionnaire'' (E ...

, he committed to play

for the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

on October 8, 2015.

College career

Banks played sparingly in his two years playing for the

, averaging under two points per game. After his sophomore season, he transferred to

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

and received a waiver for immediate eligibility. On January 19, 2019, Banks recorded a career-high 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 79–51 loss to

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

. As a junior, he averaged 10.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Banks ranked 10th nationally in blocks and led the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC) in that category during conference play. He was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team. On November 5, 2019, he tallied 20 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, making the game-winning free throws, in an 82–81 overtime victory over

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

. On December 1, Banks posted 12 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight blocks in a 68–65 win over Bethune–Cookman. As a senior, he averaged 9.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Banks ranked second in the ACC in blocks and earned ACC All-Defensive Team honors for his second time. He finished with the eighth-most career blocks (154) in program history.

Professional career

Hapoel Be'er Sheva (2020–2021)

On August 1, 2020, Banks signed his first professional contract, a one-year deal with

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל באר שבע, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli football club from the city of Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The c ...

of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

. He said: "It was just a great overall situation for me, with the need on that team for a big like me, the opportunity to play in the Winner League, which is one of the biggest leagues over there in Europe ... There’s a lot of spiritual and holy things (to visit)... There’s a lot of history over there." In 2020–21 he led the Israel Basketball Premier League in blocked shots per game (1.8).

Birmingham Squadron (2021–2022)

In August 2021, Banks joined the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

for the 2021 NBA Summer League and on October 9, 2021, he signed with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. However, he was waived prior to the start of the season. On October 25, he signed with the

Birmingham Squadron The Birmingham Squadron are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Birmingham, Alabama, and are affiliated with the New Orleans Pelicans. The team plays their home games at Legacy Arena. The team began play in 201 ...

as an affiliate player.

Texas Legends (2022–present)

On February 9, 2022, the

traded for Banks, following season-ending injuries to both their centers, Tyler Davis and Loudon Love.

National team career

Banks won a gold medal with the United States under-18 national team at the

2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship The 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship for Men was an international basketball competition that was held in Valdivia, Chile from July 19–23, 2016. It was the tenth edition of the championship, and was the FIBA Americas qualifying tournamen ...

Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...

, Chile. He averaged 2.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

Personal life

When Banks was four years old, his father James Banks Jr. died in a motorcycle accident. In February 2015, his mother, Sonja, was paralyzed in a car accident. She worked as a paralegal before joining the ministry. He has an older sister named Marissa.

References

External links

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bioTexas Longhorns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, James 1998 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Israel American men's basketball players Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Birmingham Squadron players Centers (basketball) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Hapoel Be'er Sheva B.C. players La Lumiere School alumni Sportspeople from Decatur, Georgia Texas Legends players Texas Longhorns men's basketball players