Justin James (basketball)
 James at the 2019 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament | |
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 24, 1997 Port St. Lucie, Florida, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Wyoming (2015–2019) |
| NBA draft | 2019: 2nd round, 40th overall pick |
| Selected by the Sacramento Kings | |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019–2021 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2019–2020 | →Stockton Kings |
| 2021–2022 | Cleveland Charge |
| 2022–2023 | Metropolitans 92 |
| 2023 | Cleveland Charge |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Justin Taylor James (born January 24, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wyoming Cowboys.[1][2][3] He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft.[4][5][6]
College career
[edit]A native of Port St. Lucie, Florida, James was an unheralded basketball recruit out of high school, generating only one high-major offer from Mississippi State, before ultimately going to the University of Wyoming.[7] He became a full-time contributor by his sophomore year and increased his scoring average each year.[7] James led the Mountain West Conference in scoring during his final season at Wyoming, averaging 22.1 points per game as a senior,[4][5][6][7] despite playing as a point guard, a position he does not normally play, because Wyoming needed James to have the ball as much as possible during an 8–24 season.[7] He also led the Cowboys with 8.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game,[5][6] and made second-team All-Mountain West. James had a three-point field goal percentage of 33.7 percent during his college career.[4] Despite his high scoring, James posted career lows in field goal percentage (40.9 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (29.6 percent) during his senior high, as well as 4.1 turnovers per game.[7]
James finished his college career with 2,061 points, the third highest in Mountain West history.[6] He also participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, one of 64 seniors from around the country invited to the event.[8]
Professional career
[edit]Sacramento Kings (2019–2021)
[edit]James was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft with the 40th overall pick,[4][5] and became the first University of Wyoming player drafted since the Los Angeles Lakers selected Larry Nance Jr. in 2015.[5] CBS Sports had ranked James as the 96th-best prospect heading into the draft, while the Sporting News and NBADraft.net had him unranked, and most mock drafts did not predict he would be picked.[7] Sacramento general manager Vlade Divac said the team drafted him because they followed his college career and appreciated his passion and production: "We talked to everybody about his professionalism and his love for the game. We were so excited when we spent time with him in Sacramento."[7] On July 10, 2019, the Sacramento Kings announced that they had signed James.[9] On October 25, 2019, James made his debut in the NBA, coming off the bench in a 112–122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers with two points.[10] He scored 30 points for the G League's Stockton Kings in a win over the Iowa Wolves on January 11, 2020.[11]
Cleveland Charge (2021–2022)
[edit]On September 22, 2021, James signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.[12] However, he was waived on October 1.[13] On October 13, he signed with Cleveland Cavaliers,[14] but was waived three days later.[15] On October 23, he signed with the Cleveland Charge as an affiliate player.[16] James averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.[17]
On December 26, 2021, the New Orleans Pelicans signed James to a 10-day contract.[17] However, he never appeared in a game for the team.
On January 5, 2022, James was reacquired by the Cleveland Charge.[18]
James joined the Orlando Magic for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[19]
Metropolitans 92 (2022–2023)
[edit]On December 13, 2022, James signed with Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A.[20]
Return to the Charge (2023)
[edit]On March 2, 2023, James was re-acquired by the Cleveland Charge.[21]
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Sacramento | 36 | 0 | 6.4 | .417 | .310 | .476 | .9 | .5 | .2 | .3 | 2.5 |
| 2020–21 | Sacramento | 36 | 0 | 8.6 | .468 | .368 | .583 | .8 | .6 | .2 | .1 | 3.9 |
| Career | 72 | 0 | 7.5 | .446 | .343 | .544 | .9 | .6 | .2 | .2 | 3.2 | |
College
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Wyoming | 31 | 3 | 16.6 | .418 | .358 | .565 | 2.1 | .8 | .3 | .4 | 5.1 |
| 2016–17 | Wyoming | 37 | 6 | 26.2 | .462 | .419 | .762 | 5.0 | 2.2 | .8 | .5 | 16.0 |
| 2017–18 | Wyoming | 32 | 32 | 31.2 | .472 | .308 | .726 | 6.0 | 3.1 | 1.1 | .5 | 18.9 |
| 2018–19 | Wyoming | 32 | 32 | 38.2 | .409 | .296 | .741 | 8.5 | 4.4 | 1.5 | .6 | 22.1 |
| Career | 132 | 73 | 28.1 | .442 | .337 | .731 | 5.4 | 2.6 | .9 | .5 | 15.6 | |
References
[edit]- ^ Potter, Davis (January 6, 2019). "Is carrying the load for Wyoming wearing on Justin James?". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ Potter, Davis (February 9, 2019). "Justin James' career-high 36 points lead Wyoming to Border War win". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ Potter, Davis (February 9, 2019). "Justin James shines one last time at home in Wyoming's Senior Day win". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d White, Marcus (June 20, 2019). "2019 NBA Draft: Kings select Wyoming's Justin James at No. 40 overall". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Foster, Brandon; Potter, Davis (June 20, 2019). "UW's Justin James taken by Sacramento Kings in NBA draft". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Wagaman, Michael (June 20, 2019). "Kings add scoring with Wyoming's Justin James". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Potter, Davis (June 21, 2019). "Justin James' passion, production sold the Sacramento Kings on him". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ Nowlin, Jack (April 16, 2019). "Wyoming's Justin James will play in Portsmouth Invitational Tournament". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- ^ "Kings Sign Justin James". NBA.com. July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ "Lillard scores 35 as Trail Blazers top Kings 122-112". ESPN.com. October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "Kings' Justin James: Scores 30 points in G League win". CBS Sports. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Adams, Luke (September 22, 2021). "Jazz Sign Justin James To Two-Way Contract". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ Chunga, JP (October 1, 2021). "Utah Jazz Waive Justin James". NBA.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ Gold, Matthew (October 13, 2021). "Cavaliers Sign Ed Davis". NBA.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Georgia (October 16, 2021). "Cavaliers Convert the Contracts of Tacko Fall and RJ Nembhard into Two-way Contracts". NBA.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Cleveland Charge 2021-22 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ a b "Pelicans sign Anthony Tolliver and Justin James to 10-day contracts". NBA.com. December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "2021-22 NBA G League transactions". gleague.nba.com. January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ "Orlando Magic 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ "Justin JAMES, pigiste médical pour Aaron HENRY". metropolitans92.com (in French). December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Charge Acquire Justin James". Cleveland Charge. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.