© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Ex-Nets guard became EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer
A former member of the Brooklyn Nets achieved a remarkable feat recently in Europe's greatest basketball tournament.
Ex-Nets point guard Mike James cemented his name in EuroLeague record books by becoming the all-time scoring leader in its history, surpassing Greek basketball legend Vassilis Spanoulis in the leaderboard.
EuroLeague’s scoring king
The AS Monaco star entered their matchup against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade seeking 12 points to overthrow Spanoulis at the top, who holds a 4,455-point record. He ultimately took over as the EureLeague’s scoring king upon draining a step-back jumper with 3:53 remaining in the second frame.
The matchup was briefly paused as the entire Salle Gaston Médecin crowd, which included James’ parents and friends, handed their heartwarming standing ovation to celebrate the 33-year-old’s achievement. James was then joined by his teammates at the center court and obtained the game ball that sealed his historic mark.
"I will be able to savour all of this at the end of my career," said James, who eventually finished with a game-high 20 points to lead Monaco’s dominant 98-80 dub over Crvena Zvezda.
"I didn't want it to get too emotional, because we had to focus on the victory, otherwise it wouldn't have had the same flavour.”
James' scoring milestone in the EuroLeague is 10 years in the making since entering the tourney in 2014. He played for four other competing franchises before entering Monaco's basketball program in 2021.
Remembering Mike as a Net
Upon parting ways with CSKA Moscow, James had nowhere to go but to land himself back in America, joining the Nets in the second half of the 2020-21 regular season.
Through the help and significant backing of his good friend and franchise star Kevin Durant, Mike was able to gain a roster spot within the Brooklyn franchise. He went on to solidly produce as one of the team's reliable spark plugs off the bench by averaging 7.7 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.5 boards, which helped the Nets to secure the East's top-two spot.
While James' Brooklyn career was short-lived, he still stands as one of the most well-known and beloved former Net in the fanbase. As such, he'll always be fondly remembered for his inclusion in this electrifying play:
