Mike James explains why he'd beat Spanoulis one-on-one / News - Basketnews.com

Mike James mentioned his favorite players when he got into the EuroLeague, opined on a hypothetical one-on-one matchup with Vassilis Spanoulis, and named the elements that make scoring tougher in Europe as opposed to the NBA.

Credit: Giuseppe Cottini/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Giuseppe Cottini/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

After becoming the top scorer in EuroLeague history, Mike James spoke about his past, his tenure at Panathinaikos, the players who influenced him and the particularities of playing in Europe.

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In an interview with the EuroLeague, AS Monaco’s guard referred to his role models in European basketball, with one of them being Vassilis Spanoulis, the player he recently surpassed.

"When I first got in, I really liked Sergio Llull, Nando De Colo, Milos Teodosic, Keith Langford, Tyrese Rice, Malcolm Delaney," James revealed.

"As I grew into the league, I think obviously Spanoulis was great to watch, Diamantidis was amazing," he said.

Describing himself with the different teams he's played throughout his career, the 33-year-old noted:

"I think Baskonia, I was naive. Panathinaikos, hungy. Milan, over my head. CSKA, renewed. Monaco, ready."

Asked about whether he'd beat Spanoulis one-on-one, James was confident that he would be able to pull it off.

"I’d probably beat him, but not because he’s bad or anything like that. I am more of a one-on-one player, and he manipulated pick and rolls really well," he explained.

"When he gets switches, he kind of got space to get shots off. One against one is more my element. He doesn’t really pick people to play one against one. That’s kind of what I do, and I guess that’s more of my thing than his," he added.

James started his European journey in Zagreb playing for the city's team, KK Zagreb, in 2012, after finishing his college career at Lamar University. He went on to play for a couple more seasons with low-tier teams before making the jump to the EuroLeague with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2014.

2-pointers this season

51%21,5Points made:21,5Accuracy:51,5%Place in standings:6Record max:31Record min:15Most made 2FGs:Mike JamesTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

"It just allowed me to grow up even faster," he reflected on his development in Europe.

"I was already maturing faster than most people around me, but then just being here and having to be on your own. I had to start from a baseline of zero and build yourself up day to day. It allowed me to mature, grow, and figure things out. To navigate through pains and hardships, and good times and bad times. That allowed me to figure out exactly who I was, really early in life."

James averaged 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 13 regular-season games with the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, before signing the deal with Monaco.

"A lot of guys have their stay in the NBA or never really get a chance to make it to the NBA," James Harden recently said. "Mike has done a really good job over his career when things didn't work out in the NBA, he didn't put his head down. He continued to work. As a result, he's got the most buckets overseas," Harden praised James, via Tomer Azarly.

Since Luka Doncic said it's easier to score in the NBA as opposed to Europe, several players have weighed in on the subject.

James thinks that the dynamics of how Europan basketball works, especially with the rules, the smaller court and no defensive three seconds, the actual idea of scoring in Europe is tougher.

"It's a little more physical, with how the rules allow you to play. So, in those aspects, yes," he pointed out.

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