Michael Lamont James (born June 23, 1975) is an American former 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. A point guard, James played college basketball for Duquesne. James spent 13 seasons in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

and played for 11 different teams, winning an NBA championship with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

in 2004. He averaged 20.3 points per game as a member of the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

during the 2005-2006 season.

College career

James played college basketball at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

. He finished his college career as Duquesne's all-time leader in steals (201) and was fifth in assists (348) and 10th in points (1,411). James was named to the all-

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...

first team in his senior year at the university. James's number 13 was retired by Duquesne in a February 2017 ceremony.

Professional career

Career in Europe

James was not drafted by an NBA team in 1998. He began his professional basketball career in Europe. James enjoyed several seasons as an integral player with both French and Austrian teams. In February 2011, following several NBA seasons, James signed with

Aliağa Petkim Aliağa Gençlik S.K., known as Aliağa Petkim for sponsorship reasons, was a professional basketball team from the district of Aliağa in İzmir, Turkey. Their home arena was the Enka Sport Hall with a capacity of 2,500 seats. The team competes p ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

NBA career

James began his

career when he signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

during the 2001–02 season. He went on to play for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

, the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

, the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

, the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

, and the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

, averaging 10.0 points per game for his career.

Detroit Pistons

James was a member of the Pistons' 2004 NBA championship team as a reserve. He and fellow reserve guard

Lindsey Hunter Lindsey Benson Hunter Jr. (born December 3, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2010, spending most of his career with the Detroit Pistons. He ...

formed a formidable defensive guard combination nicknamed the "Pit Bulls" by

Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 199 ...

because of their aggressive nature on defense.

Toronto Raptors

As a starter. for the Raptors during the 2005–06 season, James averaged career highs of 20.3 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game and shot 47% from the field including 44.2% from 3-point range.Mike James Info Page
, nba.com, accessed 29 May 2007. Despite being an above-average shooter from the point guard spot, James's playmaking abilities and commitment to defense were called into question, in stark contrast to his "pit bull" days with the

Pistons A piston is an engineering component of engines and pumps. Piston(s) may also refer to: Science and technology * Piston (optics) * Piston (subcellular structure) * Piston valve * Fire piston, an ancient device for kindling fire * Gas-operated rel ...

. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote of his big 2005–06 season: "Previously, James had started only 68 games, so some scouts wondered if those numbers were an aberration. Others felt his impending free agency affected his play, prompting him to seek stats at the expense of play-making duties". While playing for Toronto in the 2005–06 season, he reached a career high of 39 points in a win against the

. On April 11, 2006, James became the first Raptor to score 30 or more points in four consecutive games.

Minnesota Timberwolves

On July 11, 2006, James signed a

contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Much of the 2006–07 season was marred by mediocre play, which limited his minutes to 25 per game (down from the 37 per game that he averaged during his career year in Toronto).

Houston Rockets

On June 14, 2007, it was announced that James and teammate

Justin Reed Justin Michael Reed (January 16, 1982 – October 20, 2017) was an American professional basketball player, who played at the small forward position. College career Reed led the University of Mississippi's Ole Miss Rebels as part of the "Provin ...

would be traded to the

for

Juwan Howard Juwan Antonio Howard (born February 7, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's team. A one-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA power forward, he began his NBA career ...

Later career

On February 21, 2008 it was announced that James and teammate

Bonzi Wells Gawen DeAngelo "Bonzi" Wells (born September 28, 1976) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the LeMoyne–Owen College, LeMoyne-Owen Magicians men's basketball team. He played college bas ...

would be traded to the

for Bobby Jackson, and

Adam Haluska Adam Haluska (born November 16, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Iowa 2003–2007 Haluska played college basketball with the Iowa Hawkeyes, and scored 1,847 points in his collegiate career. He was nam ...

. This ended his second short tenure as a

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Rocket. James was traded on December 10, 2008 in a three-team trade between the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

, and

. The trade sent James and

Javaris Crittenton Javaris Cortez Crittenton (born December 31, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. During his four year career, Crittenton played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Washington Wizards of the National Basketba ...

to the Wizards and

Antonio Daniels Antonio Robert Daniels (born March 19, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the television color analyst for the New Orleans Pelicans on B ...

to the Hornets. The Grizzlies received a conditional first round draft pick from the Wizards. On March 1, 2010, it was announced that the

had reached a buy-out agreement with James and waived him. James averaged 9.3 points per game during his stint with the Wizards, in which he played 57 games. After joining the Erie Bayhawks in the NBA Development League, James was called up by the Chicago Bulls on January 11, 2012, but released on January 28. On February 14, James was re-signed by the Bulls on a 10-day contract to provide support while

Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted ...

was injured. He was re-signed on a second 10-day contract on March 14. On April 4, 2012, James signed with the Bulls for the rest of the season. After playing with 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 D-League, James was signed to a 10-day contract by the

on January 8, 2013. The Mavs signed him to a second 10-day contract on January 18, 2013. He was then signed for the remainder of the season on January 28, after his second 10-day contract was up. In September 2013, James signed with the Chicago Bulls. On December 16, 2013, James was waived by the Bulls, after appearing in just seven games. On January 22, 2014, he signed a 10-day contract with the Bulls, returning yet again for another stint. On February 1, 2014, the Bulls decided not to sign James to a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day contract expired. On April 10, 2014, he signed with the Bulls for the rest of the 2013–14 season. On July 15, 2014, he was waived by the Bulls.

Post-NBA career

On November 3, 2014, James was reacquired by the Texas Legends. On January 25, 2015, he recorded the Legends first triple-double of the season with 21 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in the 115–111 win over the

Delaware 87ers Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, 15 , , 0 , , 7.9 , , .349 , , .381 , , .571 , , .9 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 8 , , 22.1 , , .373 , , .294 , , .732 , , 1.9 , , 3.2 , , .8 , , .1 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 55 , , 55 , , 30.6 , , .418 , , .381 , , .800 , , 3.2 , , 4.4 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, 26 , , 0 , , 19.7 , , .401 , , .364 , , .844 , , 2.2 , , 3.7 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 47 , , 0 , , 24.8 , , .446 , , .382 , , .744 , , 2.6 , , 3.9 , , .9 , , .1 , , 11.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 27 , , 5 , , 25.6 , , .433 , , .393 , , .764 , , 3.2 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .1 , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, 79 , , 79 , , 37.0 , , .469 , , .442 , , .837 , , 3.3 , , 5.8 , , .9 , , .0 , , 20.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 82 , , 65 , , 25.2 , , .422 , , .372 , , .837 , , 2.0 , , 3.6 , , .7 , , .1 , , 10.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 33 , , 1 , , 16.3 , , .350 , , .324 , , .786 , , 1.6 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , 6.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 21 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .344 , , .304 , , 1.000 , , .8 , , .3 , , .2 , , .0 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 8 , , 0 , , 9.3 , , .320 , , .750 , , .500 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, 53 , , 50 , , 29.7 , , .387 , , .367 , , .838 , , 2.4 , , 3.6 , , .8 , , .1 , , 9.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .300 , , .333 , , .500 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .0 , , 4.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 11 , , 0 , , 10.9 , , .408 , , .600 , , .875 , , .9 , , 2.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 4.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 45 , , 23 , , 19.2 , , .373 , , .384 , , .793 , , 1.6 , , 3.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 11 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .238 , , .200 , , .000 , , .6 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 595 , , 286 , , 24.1 , , .417 , , .379 , , .802 , , 2.2 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , .1 , , 9.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

† , align="left" ,

, 22 , , 0 , , 8.9 , , .396 , , .429 , , .563 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .0 , , 2.6 , - , align="left" ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

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, 7 , , 0 , , 24.4 , , .468 , , .000 , , .958 , , 1.9 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .3 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

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Personal life

James and his wife, Angela, have four daughters: Jadon Miciah (b. 2000), Amaya Noel (b. 2003), Michal Mikayla (b. 2007), and McKinley Joel (b. 2008). The family appeared in a 2008 episode of ABC's ''

Supernanny ''Supernanny'' is a British reality television programme about parents struggling with their children's behaviour, mealtime, potty training, etc. The show features professional nanny Jo Frost, who devotes each episode to helping a family wher ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Mike 1975 births Living people African-American basketball players Aliağa Petkim basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Austria American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York (state) Big3 players Boston Celtics players Chicago Bulls players Dallas Mavericks players Detroit Pistons players Duquesne Dukes men's basketball players Élan Chalon players Erie BayHawks (2008–2017) players Houston Rockets players Miami Heat players Milwaukee Bucks players Minnesota Timberwolves players New Orleans Hornets players People from Amityville, New York Point guards Rockford Lightning players SLUC Nancy Basket players Sportspeople from Suffolk County, New York Texas Legends players Toronto Raptors players Undrafted National Basketball Association players United States Basketball League players Washington Wizards players Zhejiang Golden Bulls players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople American men's 3x3 basketball players American expatriate sportspeople in Austria

College career

Professional career

Career in Europe

NBA career

Detroit Pistons

Toronto Raptors

Minnesota Timberwolves

Houston Rockets

Later career

Post-NBA career

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

Personal life

References

External links