In addition to leading his team to three key wins in February, the 33-year-old is closing in on the EuroLeague scoring record
Mike James, Monaco, February MVP: ‘I’m trying to enjoy all the love and support I’m getting’
Ahead of what could be a record-breaking occasion on Thursday night, AS Monaco star Mike James reflected on winning the MVP of the Month award for February, which is his fifth such award and the fourth season in a row he has been secured this honor, a new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague record.
James led Monaco in points (20.3), rebounds (6.0), assists (3.7), steals (1.7) and PIR (22.6) over the team’s three wins in February, all of which were above the Monegasque outfit coming into those games: Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Virtus Segafredo Bologna and FC Barcelona. He was instrumental in each, too, as he came to the fore late on to ensure Monaco came out with the victory.
Closing in on the EuroLeague scoring record
What’s more, James now finds himself just 12 points off breaking the EuroLeague’s all-time scoring record, which he is expected to achieve on Thursday night as Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. James has had his eye on this record for some time now but, as he told Geoff Gillingham of the EuroLeague’s official website, part of him just wants to focus on basketball again.
"I kind of knew I could break it last year or the year before. One of my ex-teammates, Chris Singleton, has been telling me that I was going to break it,” James explains. “I was like, 'Ah, that seems so farfetched, I don't know.' But, you know, going into this season, I knew it was possible.
“I was kind of wary because Nando [De Colo] was really close and obviously he can score with the best of them. I think him going down just kind of helped me surpass him and just with his injury problems this year in general. So when I got closer and closer, it was like, okay, my friends are coming and they're like, 'Are you going to do it this game? Are you going to do it this game?' And I'm like, 'I don't know.'
“Hopefully I can stay healthy and it will happen. I'm trying not to dwell on it too much. I'm not like an attention[-seeking] person, so I kind of want for it to be over and for this whole thing to pass, but I'm trying to enjoy it and enjoy all the love and all the support I'm getting from people."
Becoming wiser with age
At age 33, James seems to be playing better than ever, contributing in various ways to keep Monaco towards the upper echelons of the EuroLeague standings. While he makes the point that he has been doing these things ever since he came into the EuroLeague, he is now smarter with what he does on the court, thus allowing him to maintain a consistently high level of play.
"I think that I've always been able to do certain things – I’ve [always] been able to rebound, pass, steal the ball and just play defense,” James notes. “I think as I've gotten older, I've gotten more responsibility and figured out where it's easier for me to play and pick spots and play in spots.
“When I was younger I just had more energy, so I used to do a little more things when I had the opportunity. Now I'm older, I think I just pick my spots and the way I expend my energy a little bit better."
Monaco on a roll
Thanks to James’s MVP-caliber performances in the month of January, Monaco now finds itself in the midst of a six-game winning streak which has seen it surge up to fourth spot in the standings. Of those six wins, three have come against sides currently in the top five: Real Madrid, Virtus and Barca. Now, James and Monaco want to make sure they end the regular season on a high.
"At the beginning of the year everyone had us picked to finish in the top four and, through injuries and some of our better players not playing up to their full potential, we struggled at times during the beginning of the season,” James comments. “But I think people are getting back into form, people are stepping up, people are settling into their roles and, you know, people are setting into what they're going to be doing.
“I think we're starting to come together at the right point towards the end of the season. Hopefully we can keep some momentum going, win some games and finish high in the standings to have home-court [advantage in the playoffs]."
Watch the video above to see the Mike James interview in full.