Mike James says NBA isn’t made for players like him, talks why Vitoria was terrible

Mike James found Vitoria challenging and described it as “the worst” during his time there because, as a young single man, he felt there was nothing to do, while he loved living in Athens, where he enjoyed a vibrant social scene and numerous activities.AS Monaco star Mike James has had an interesting journey in basketball. Although he played two seasons in the NBA and appeared in 49 regular-season games, his real legacy shines in Europe, where he’s the EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer.

The 34-year-old had stints with the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans during the 2017-18 season and returned to the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2020-21 season.

However, his short-lived NBA experiences didn’t quite cut it for him. He found himself craving more minutes and a major role, leading him to focus his career on European basketball instead.”I think that NBA teams look at me like a risk,” James said during SKWEEK’s Best In Class podcast. “Cuz every time I talk with them, not me personally but my representatives, they kind of feel like, ‘Yeah, but if it doesn’t go well for you, you just get mad and leave and go back to Europe.'”Everybody just kind of thinks that if I’m not playing as much as I want, I’m going,” he added. “Everybody kind of considers me like I’ve outgrown the role that they want to put me in, but they need to put me in that role for me to get a bigger role. So, it’s like a give-and-take at some point.”

James then pointed out that the NBA isn’t really designed for smaller guards like him.

“I mean, the NBA is nice. It’s not really made for people like me. It’s more made for 6’7 people who jump and just play defense and sit in the corner,” the 1.83-meter (6’0) player explained.

Even though his NBA ambitions didn’t pan out as he hoped, his European career has been nothing short of spectacular, with just one missing piece: a EuroLeague title.Over the years, he’s played in several countries, including Croatia, Israel, Italy, Greece, Spain, Russia, and now Monaco.

When asked about his favorite place to live in Europe, James shared a mix of opinions.

“I just have pros and cons about each one. Baskonia was terrible, Vitoria is the worst,” he said. “I don’t even know if it’s really the worst, but I was like 24-25 years old, a newly single male in Vitoria. It was literally for me nothing to do. It was the worst.”I don’t really know if it’s that bad as the city because it has good restaurants. But when I was there, they didn’t have English movies, it wasn’t just a lot for me to do, to be honest. And they get mad every time I say that, but it’s the truth,” the EuroLeague MVP continued.On the flip side, he enjoyed living in Athens while playing for Panathinaikos during the 2016-17 season.

“I loved Athens because then I was like 26-27 single. And there was everything to do,” he shared. “I think I overdid it at first. I’m surprised DPG [Dimitris Giannakopoulos] didn’t say that. I kind of overdid at first. I remember him coming to me and talking, ‘Mike, you’ve been out every day.’ I was like, ‘Man, I’m just excited.’

“I really loved Athens. Milan was really nice too, little rainy. Loved Moscow, I don’t know how that sounds, but I loved it there, it was amazing. And obviously, I really enjoy here [in Monaco], just having a little bit more slow and chill.”

Speaking of Monaco, they’re keeping it chill in the EuroLeague standings as well, sitting with four wins and three losses as they navigate the ups and downs of the new season.