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.

Christian James
James with Fortitudo Agrigento in 2019
Free agent
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Personal information
Born (1996-10-23) October 23, 1996
Houston, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight213 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High schoolBellaire
(Bellaire, Texas)
CollegeOklahoma (2015–2019)
NBA draft2019: undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020Fortitudo Agrigento
2020–2021Mantovana
2021–2022Tramec Cento
2022–2023Bambitious Nara
Career highlights and awards

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
  1. 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.
  2. "Introducing: Christian James". University of Oklahoma. July 1, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  3. Smith, Brian T. (February 26, 2015). "James' long recovery ends in time to bolster Bellaire". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  4. 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.
  5. Shinn, John (November 12, 2016). "James ready to move out of the shadows". Norman Transcript. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  6. Aber, Ryan (January 17, 2018). "OU basketball: Christian James making strides after rough sophomore season". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  7. 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.
  8. Zagoria, Adam (December 4, 2018). "With Trae Young Gone, Christian James Is Now the Alpha Dog at Oklahoma". Zagsblog. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  9. "James' career-high 29 leads Oklahoma past Texas RGV 91-76". Associated Press. November 9, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  10. Mussatto, Joe (July 15, 2019). "OU basketball: Christian James signs with Italian team". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  11. "Christian James vola in America" (in Italian). Fortitudo Agrigento. March 19, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  12. "Basket A2, colpo Stings: preso Christian James". L'Altra Mantova (in Italian). July 11, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
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