Christian James
Christian James (born October 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Bambitious Nara of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners.
![]() James with Fortitudo Agrigento in 2019 | |
Free agent | |
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Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
Personal information | |
Born | Houston, Texas | October 23, 1996
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Listed weight | 213 lb (97 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Bellaire (Bellaire, Texas) |
College | Oklahoma (2015–2019) |
NBA draft | 2019: undrafted |
Playing career | 2019–present |
Career history | |
2019–2020 | Fortitudo Agrigento |
2020–2021 | Mantovana |
2021–2022 | Tramec Cento |
2022–2023 | Bambitious Nara |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Early life and high school career
James began training with former NBA player John Lucas II in eighth grade. He attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas. As a junior, he averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game, earning District MVP honors.[1] James suffered a broken tibia in his left leg during an Amateur Athletic Union game before his senior season. Due to the injury, he was limited to two games as a senior.[2] James committed to play college basketball for Oklahoma over offers from Oregon, Houston, Oklahoma State, LSU and Maryland.[3]
College career
As a freshman at Oklahoma, James helped his team reach the Final Four round of the 2016 NCAA tournament.[4] He posted 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game but began to produce more later in the season.[5] He was expected to replace Buddy Hield as a sophomore but struggled to shoot the ball, averaging 7.9 points per game and shooting 36 percent from the field.[6] As a junior, James became a regular starter and averaged 11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.[7] He was placed in a leading role in his senior season with the departure of Trae Young.[8] In his season opener on November 9, 2018, James scored a career-high 29 points in a 91–76 win over Texas–Rio Grande Valley.[9] As a senior, he averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, earning Third Team All-Big 12 honors.[10]
Professional career
On July 26, 2019, James signed his first professional contract with Fortitudo Agrigento of the Italian Serie A2 Basket.[10] On March 19, 2020, he was authorized to return to his family in the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] In 22 games, James averaged 17.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. On July 11, he signed with Mantovana of the Serie A2.[12]
References
- Emig, Guerin (March 20, 2016). "OU at the Final Four: OU owes Christian James a great debt, just as the freshman guard owes John Lucas". Tulsa World. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "Introducing: Christian James". University of Oklahoma. July 1, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Smith, Brian T. (February 26, 2015). "James' long recovery ends in time to bolster Bellaire". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Counts, Ron (March 23, 2019). "Oklahoma's Christian James focused on his last chance at another deep NCAA Tournament run". The Daily Progress. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Shinn, John (November 12, 2016). "James ready to move out of the shadows". Norman Transcript. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- Aber, Ryan (January 17, 2018). "OU basketball: Christian James making strides after rough sophomore season". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- McKelvey, John (March 17, 2018). "OU's up and down season ends with plenty of questions left unsolved". The Norman Transcript. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Zagoria, Adam (December 4, 2018). "With Trae Young Gone, Christian James Is Now the Alpha Dog at Oklahoma". Zagsblog. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "James' career-high 29 leads Oklahoma past Texas RGV 91-76". Associated Press. November 9, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Mussatto, Joe (July 15, 2019). "OU basketball: Christian James signs with Italian team". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- "Christian James vola in America" (in Italian). Fortitudo Agrigento. March 19, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- "Basket A2, colpo Stings: preso Christian James". L'Altra Mantova (in Italian). July 11, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.