Mike James Biography Mike James was born in Amityville, New York on June 23rd, 1975. As the youngest of seven children, Mike dreamed and fantasized as most youth his age about becoming someone great. As far back as his friends and family remember, Mike James had a true love and passion for the game of basketball. Rain, sleet, nor snow couldn’t keep him from scaling the fence of Bolden Mack Park, which was adjacent to his boyhood home, just for an opportunity to shoot hoops. Not only was he alone in the snow, he had to shovel snow from the courts just so that he could practice. In his mind, the small frame prodigy saw himself in the NBA (National Basketball Association) and nothing was going to stop him. The experience of growing up in Amityville in the 80’s and 90’s brought about some very unique challenges and temptations for Mike. Many of which could have deterred Mike from the course that destiny had set for him. It was difficult for Mike to watch some of his friend fall prey to the vices of the street, however, he had to make a choice and failure was not an option. According to friends and family, when you saw Mike he had a basketball ball in his hand.Day or night those from the North Amityville neighborhood remembers hearing the sound of a single basketball pounding the court surface, they knew it was Mike. Hard work, dedication, and commitment are just a few attributes that guided this young aspiring athlete.
Mike’s parents, Jasper and Pauline James provided a stable environment for Mike and his brothers and sisters to grow and develop, which Mike has never forgotten. So many times we take for granted the many sacrifices our parents make in order for us to realize our goals and dreams. Their modest home allowed Mike and his friends the opportunity to have a safe haven were they could meet and avoid some of the negative influences of the street. It didn’t hurt to have older brothers and sisters keeping a watchful eye so that Mike could stay on track. It all began in high school. Despite posting an illustrious career at Amityville High School, James was told by peers, coaches and scouts alike that he would never be able to play Division I basketball. Attending Duquesne on a scholarship, he quickly showed not only that he could merely compete at the collegian level, but also that he could excel even at its highest levels of play. In his senior year—despite Duquesne’s mediocre record—James was named to the all-Atlantic 10 Conference 1st team. Scoffed at next were his ambitions to play professionally, a seemingly natural progression judging from his college success. This time his critics’ disbelief seemed almost justified. Undrafted after graduating in 1998, James had no forum in which to showcase his skills because of an NBA lockout that year. There were no rookie training camps and Duquesne’s lack of reputation failed to open doors. "Having a dream and a desire is what has kept me going during the tough times," James said. "I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything take my dream away from me." James gutted it out in the European professional leagues and continued to excel. Playing for Austria’s St. Poelten he won the Austrian championship in the 1998-99 season and went on to play in the Austrian all-star game. His exploits did not go unnoticed and in 2001 James signed with the Miami Heat. In 2003 he joined the Boston Celtics and was their starting point guard for 55 games before being traded midseason to the Pistons. During his short tenure with the Celtics, James led the team in assists (4.4) and was the third-leading scorer (10.7 points), stats that, for him, constituted a breakout season. Although James knew that his minutes would shrink in Detroit as point guard Chauncey Billups’ backup, he also knew that the squad was something special. James consequently let his personal goals take a backseat for the sake of team success; the type of sacrifice that fit in perfectly with Detroit’s superb chemistry and unselfishness. "What stands out in my mind about the season with the Detroit Pistons is all 14 of those guys," James said. "That was the best team that I’ve ever played for in my career. We were so close I could seriously say we were all friends. Sometimes you have teams where the guys are just teammates, it’s business, but on this team the guys were all genuinely close and that carried over to the basketball court." Having won a championship in 2004 that has eluded some of basketball’s greatest players, James feels his NBA career is off to a perfect start. He signed with the Houston Rockets in early February 2005 and was then traded to the Toronto Raptors. Mike plans to continue his ascension in the league along side league greats such as Tracy McGrady, Steve Nash and Yao Ming. "My first year [in the NBA] I just wanted to make the team," James said. "I did that. My second year was about proving myself, proving that I belonged there. I did that. My third year I wanted to solidify myself, show everybody I can be an NBA starter and I did that too. This year, now it’s just play ball, I want to be an all star. I’m going to go out there and showcase my skills and believe me, my skills are only getting better." While negativity from both his friends and foes has confronted James along his path of success, he is excited at the recognition he is finally starting to garner for his accomplishments. Suffolk County officially declared July 29th as "Mike James Day." Mike has decided to take this opportunity and return back to his old stomping grounds in Amityville to provide hope and assistance to those youth coming behind him. "Awesome, one of the top five things that has ever happened to me," James said. "The county dedicated a day to me for all the hard work and for not giving up. What I’ve come from and seen on the street – for me to overcome it and to know that the entire county acknowledges that, words can’t describe how I feel. It’s just amazing to know that my hard work and struggles are finally paying off." "The biggest hurdle for me growing up were all the negative influences around," James said. "I was encircled by negativity and at some point you may start believing it but I refused. That’s why I try to support the younger kids out there. I try to make them understand that they don’t need handouts, cause I look at my own life, I didn’t have a handout growing up." "When you don’t have a silver spoon, everything that you get you appreciate more. I want to teach them that they can make it… all they have to do is work hard, dream big, and never give up." It was this motivation that moved Mike and Angela (Wife) James to launch the Mike James Scholarship Foundation in December 2004. The mission of the foundation is to help young people of exceptional promise reach their full potential through education. Mike launched the first annual Mike James Basketball Experience, a youth basketball life skills training camp in August of 2005. Mike is very grateful for the many accolades he’s received over the years, however he realizes that none of it could be possible without God. And it wouldn’t have the meaning without a loving family to sharing it with, which includes his loving wife Angela James and his two beautiful daughters Jadon and Amaya. Source: mikejamesbasketball.com
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