The star guard has brought an end to speculation about his future
EuroLeague MVP Mike James re-ups at Monaco for three more years
Article
1 Min read
The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer, Mike James, has committed his future to AS Monaco by signing a three-year contract extension at the club, keeping him in the principality until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Fresh off winning the 2023-24 EuroLeague MVP award, the announcement that James is staying at Monaco comes after the team successfully defended its French League crown, beating Paris Basketball 3-1 in the finals.
Since arriving at Monaco in the summer of 2021, James has taken the club to new heights. In his first year, which was the club's debut season in the EuroLeague, James led Monaco to the EuroLeague Playoffs. The Monegasque side was close to making it to the Final Four but came up short to Olympiacos Piraeus, losing in Game 5. That year, James averaged 16.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.2 steals and an 18.1 PIR in 38 games.
The next season, James inspired Monaco as it defeated Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the playoffs, this time having the advantage of playing Game 5 at home, before recording a third-place finish at the Final Four. His averages for the 2022-23 campaign stood at: 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.0 steal and a 16.3 PIR in 38 appearances.
This past campaign, 2023-24, James made history in Round 28 when he became the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Olympiacos great Vassilis Spanoulis. His play was also key in guiding Monaco to a club-record 23 regular-season wins, although the team fell short in the playoffs, losing Game 5 at home to Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. For the season, James posted 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals and a 19.4 PIR across 39 games.
Ever since he came into the EuroLeague with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the 2014-15 season, James has amazed with his play on the court. He spent two years at Baskonia before joining Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, where he took his game to another level in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Then came a year at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, which saw him secure the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy, in 2018-19. CSKA Moscow soon came calling and had James at the point in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns. From there, via a spell in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets, James brought his talents to the principality of Monaco.
Now 10 years into his EuroLeague career, James has already established himself as one of the league's greatest-ever players. The only thing missing from his résumé is a EuroLeague title, something he will be hoping to achieve with Monaco after penning this extension. The club has made huge strides since its introduction into the EuroLeague in 2021, and having a player of James's caliber ensures that Monaco will once again be a contender to win it all in the coming seasons.