Mike James

James with the Washington Wizards in 2009
No. 13 – Dallas Mavericks
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1975-06-23) June 23, 1975 (age 37) Copiague, New York
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	188 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school	Amityville (Amityville, New York)
College	Duquesne (1994–1998)
NBA Draft	1998 / Undrafted
Pro career	1998–present
League	NBA
Career history
1998	Long Island Surf (USBL)
1998–1999	UBC St. Pölten (Austria)
1999–2000	ESPE Châlons-en-Champagne (France)
2000–2001	SLUC Nancy Basket (France)
2001	Rockford Lightning (CBA)
2001–2003	Miami Heat
2003–2004	Boston Celtics
2004	Detroit Pistons
2004–2005	Milwaukee Bucks
2005	Houston Rockets
2005–2006	Toronto Raptors
2006–2007	Minnesota Timberwolves
2007–2008	Houston Rockets
2008	New Orleans Hornets
2008–2010	Washington Wizards
2010	Zhejiang Golden Bulls (China)
2011	Aliağa Petkim (Turkey)
2011–2012	Erie BayHawks (D-League)
2012	Chicago Bulls
2013	Texas Legends (D-League)
2013–present	Dallas Mavericks
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2004)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Michael Lamont James (born June 23, 1975) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.

College career [edit]

James had a college career at Duquesne University that saw him finish ranked third all-time in steals (201), fifth in assists (348) and 10th in points (1,411) at the school and included being named to the all Atlantic 10 Conference 1st team in his senior year.

Professional career [edit]

James was not drafted by an NBA team, but remained positive and opted for a start in the European professional leagues instead. Mike enjoyed several stellar seasons as an integral player with both the French and Austrian teams^{[citation needed]}. He began his NBA career when he signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat during the 2001–02 season. He has since played for the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Houston Rockets, the Toronto Raptors, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the New Orleans Hornets, the Washington Wizards, the Chicago Bulls, and the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 10.0 points per game for his career.

James was a member of the Pistons' 2004 NBA championship team as a reserve. He and fellow reserve guard Lindsey Hunter formed a formidable defensive guard combination nicknamed the "Pit Bulls" by Rasheed Wallace, because of their aggressive nature on defense.

As the starting point guard for the Raptors during the 2005–06 season, he 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 which ranked among the league leaders.^[1]

In spite of his strong play during the 2005–06 season for the Raptors, he was criticized as being somewhat of a one-dimensional player^{[by whom?]}. Despite being an above-average shooter from the point guard spot, his playmaking abilities were called into question at times as well as his commitment to defense, in stark contrast to his "pit bull" days with the Pistons. 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 Detroit Pistons. On April 11, 2006, Mike James became the first Raptor to score 30 or more points in 4 consecutive games.

On July 11, 2006, James signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Much of the 2006–07 season was marred by mediocre play, which limited his minutes to 25, down from the 37 he averaged during his career year in Toronto.^[1]

On June 14, 2007 it was officially announced that James and teammate Justin Reed would be traded to the Houston Rockets for Juwan Howard.^[2]

On February 21, 2008 it was announced that James and teammate Bonzi Wells would be traded to the New Orleans Hornets for Bobby Jackson, and Adam Haluska. This ended his second short tenure as a Houston Rocket.

James was traded on December 10, 2008 in a three team trade between the New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Washington Wizards.^[3][4] The trade sent James and Javaris Crittenton to the Wizards and Antonio Daniels to the Hornets. The Grizzlies received a conditional first round draft pick from the Wizards.^[5]

On March 1, 2010, it was announced that the Washington Wizards 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.^[6]

In February 2011 he signed with Aliağa Petkim in Turkey.^[7]

James later joined the Erie Bayhawks in the NBA Development League. He was called up by the Chicago Bulls on January 11, 2012,^[8] but released on January 28.^[9] On February 14, James was re-signed by the Bulls on a 10 day contract to provide support while Derrick Rose was injured.^[10] He was re-signed on a second 10-day contract on March 14.^[11] On April 4, 2012, James signed by the Bulls for the rest of the season.^[12]

On January 1, 2013, James was acquired by the Texas Legends of the D-League.^[13][14]

He was signed to a 10-day contract by the Dallas Mavericks on January 8, 2013.^{[15][16][17][18]} The Mavs signed him to a second 10-day contract on January 18, 2013,^[19] and signed him for the remainder of the season on January 28, after his second 10-day contract was up.^[20]

NBA career statistics [edit]

Regular season [edit]

Playoffs [edit]

Personal [edit]

James and his wife, Angela, have four daughters: Jadon Miciah, Amaya Noel, Michal Mikaya and McKinley Joel.^[21] The family appeared in a 2008 episode of ABC's Supernanny.

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mike James

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com
• NBA D-League Profile
• Official site