Mike James reflects on his growth and why he likes to play basketball / News - Basketnews.com

AS Monaco superstar Mike James, who recently became the EuroLeague's all-time top scorer, talked about his growth and what makes basketball enticing to him.

Credit: Fabrizio Andrea Bertani/Alto Press via ZUMA Press - Scanpix Credit Fabrizio Andrea Bertani/Alto Press via ZUMA Press - Scanpix

Mike James made EuroLeague history this year, becoming the competition's all-time top scorer with the AS Monaco jersey, surpassing Vassilis Spanoulis's 4,455 career points.

3-pointers this season

36%8,3Points made:8,3Accuracy:36,2%Place in standings:15Record max:15Record min:4Most made 3FGs:Mike JamesTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

In an interview with EuroLeague Basketball, the prolific scorer talked about how he got this point and why he enjoys playing basketball.

"I always try to just get better every day and improve myself. You never know where it takes you. And I guess where it took me is here, today," began Mike James.

"When you learn more about it and when you learn more about yourself and you explore new things, you kind of evolve into something else."

James reached the historic feat in 8 seasons, having first played in the EuroLeague scene in the 2015-16 season with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Since then, the player does not believe that he has changed at all.

"I think I am still the same person as when I came in. It's just [that now] I understand different things. I am just more masterful at certain things than I was when I first came here," explained James.

"If you don't put too much weight on one individual shot, then you can't really get nervous about it. Just try to treat it like any other shot," he explained his philosophy.

The American also touched upon the importance of keeping records in the EuroLeague, which, for him, is integral to the growth of the continent's top basketball competition.

"As basketball grows for EuroLeague, I think it's just important to have the history and just have 'Who's done what?' and 'What's happened?' for it to come to this situation... You got to keep stats; you got to keep what happened..."

Finally, the record-holder talked about why he enjoys basketball so much and why it is different than a "regular job."

"Basketball, in general, inspires me to want to be better at it. Watching other people succeed... It's a beautiful thing to watch," James said. "Just talented people be good at what they are talented at."

"Being a basketball player, it's almost more work than a regular job but less at the same time, if that makes sense. It's a lot to be able to just stay healthy for this long and be able to play," he concluded.

This season, James is leading the league in PIR, averaging 20.3 per game. His averages are 19 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

Like what we are doing? You can express your gratitude here.