By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Mike James has built one of the greatest careers in European basketball history without ever becoming a permanent NBA player, and he has no regrets.
Speaking to HoopsHype during the adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, the AS Monaco star explained why he long ago stopped measuring success by whether or not he reached the NBA.
“I think that I realized a long time ago that just because you are good enough to be in the NBA doesn’t mean you’re supposed to be. I think it’s a lot of people that are not in the NBA that probably could be, have had the chance to be, but you know, certain things don’t work out. Even though you could be better than a person, maybe he’s just a better fit, and a lot of things are about that. I’m not thinking about it every day or worried about it. It’s just I am where I am, and I’m happy where I’m at.”
The five-time All-EuroLeague selection also revealed the philosophy that has guided him throughout his 14-year career overseas.
“I like to go where I’m wanted. And that’s kind of how I live my life. Just go where you want to. You know, you could want something so bad and still push through and push through and make you worse off instead of just going somewhere where people want you and people appreciate you. So, yeah, that’s basically that.”
James also shared his thoughts on how European basketball has evolved since he first arrived on the continent.
“It’s become a lot more American, I think. I think when I first got in, it was like one or two Americans per team. And I think now, it’s teams with a good number of Americans on their team. And I think it was a lot more European stars. I guess more European star-driven when I first started. I think it’s a lot more American stars now. I think basketball evolves, basketball changes in waves. And I think it’s just been more accepting of American-style basketball now. But basketball comes in waves, so it’s probably gonna go back towards the other way in a minute.”
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