Why EuroLeague’s GOAT Scorer Failed In The NBA 

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The guy who just did a between-the-legs dunk is unathletic. Then wtf am I

NBA Champions should play against Europe Champions every year

He is, in no universe, reality, dimension or imagination, better than Steph Curry. It is an absurd, flabbergasting and disrespectful comparison. It’s not even close.

If the NBA tripled the length of its regular season, and someone then broke LeBron's scoring record, videos talking about it would definitely point that out and also how no one really cares about the record anymore because of that. It's the same case here with this record for EuroLeague and that should have been explained in the video. The video didn't make clear the difference in the amount of games the league plays. They just said he did it in less games than Spanoulis, which is true. What they left out is the regular season was 10 games long during almost all of the career of Spanoulis, while it is 34 games long during almost all of the career of James. So if they did not extend the regular season, it would have taken James many more years to come near the record, no matter what his average was, because he never would have made it to enough games played to break the record. Because when the regular season was 10 games long (Spanoulis era), you couldn't play more games unless your team advanced and James played on plenty of teams that weren't any good and would not have advanced. James is guaranteed at least 34 games every season now. So basically, if the regular season had not been extended, the chance that James would have ever broken this scoring record was virtually 0%. It was only broken because they changed the league's format and games played rules. The video really should have specified that. Since the league changed the regular season from 10 games to 34 games, the truth is no one in Europe really cares about the EuroLeague records anymore, as they are all being broken, just because of the change in games played. The video made it seem like this record was a big deal, but in reality, no one cares, and the EuroLeague records have lost all meaning because of that change to the number of games played.

Him calling Steph one dimensional reeks of jealousy

Ppl laughed at Luka bc they didn’t understand him, he was saying it’s easier to score bc there’s more spacing and you can’t camp in the paint bc of the 3 sec rule, which I think they should get rid of. But bc of the talent in the NBA it’s a lot harder to double team and leave others open bc everyone can shoot.

No offense, Mike James is a very good scorer, but he has no business in Euroleague GOAT convo. One-dimensional, pure scorer, with zero titles (or even final appearences). He has a lot worse case than LBJ as NBA GOAT. Modern Euroleague GOAT status goes currently between Saras or Kill Bill.

"how can you stop that" you ask? i dont know, just ask the nba defenders how they did it lol

awakenbeerus predicted this

If he was so good as you’re riding for him, he would’ve been more efficient in the NBA. Not to mention fred is better defensively which why he’s still here. I’m all for having your opinion but let’s relax on the he’d do a b and c when he got the opportunity multiple times and didn’t do it.

You are overeating Mike James. 😂

Just to clarify, Mike James was never the Greek League MVP. He was the Greek League finals MVP 2 times, but never the overall league MVP. Also, as far as Mike James being the EuroLeague GOAT if he wins 1 EuroLeague championship...no. No disrespect to Mike James at all, as he is a really, really good EuroLeague player. But there is no way he is even remotely close to being in the EuroLeague GOAT discussion with winning just 1 EuroLeague championship, if he is able to do so at some point. That does not even put him in the GOAT conversation at all. 1 EuroLeague title is nowhere near enough to be compared to modern EuroLeague players like: Vassilis Spanoulis Dejan Bodiroga Dimitris Diamantidis Sarunas Jasikevicius or also guys like: Juan Carlos Navarro Antoine Rigaudeau Theo Papaloukas Vasilje Micic Nando De Colo Ramunas Siskauskas If he won 1 EuroLeague title, James is still far away from Spanoulis for the GOAT discussions (not even close), or also Bodiroga, or also Diamantidis and Jasikevicius. In all honesty, Mike James isn't even as high on the EuroLeague GOAT ladder as players like: Sergio Llull Milos Teodosic Anthony Parker Sergio Rodriguez Then you have FIBA era EuroLeague players, and also Mike James is not as high as many of them for GOAT discussions either, like: Janis Krumins Emiliano Rodriguez Clifford Luyk Sergey Belov Wayne Brabender Bob Morse Manolo Raga Dino Meneghin Walter Szczerbiak Miki Berkovich Antonello Riva Epi Drazen Petrovic Bob McAdoo Nikos Galis Dino Radja Toni Kukoc Sasha Danilovic Sasha Djordjevic Panagiotis Giannakis Arvydas Sabonis This doesn't even mention players like: Radivoj Korac Drazen Dalipagic Kresmir Cosic Mirza Delibasic Dragan Kicanovic Ivo Daneu Zarko Paspalj Ibrahim Kutluay Carlton Myers Petar Naumoski Nikos Oikonomou Zeljko Rebraca etc. If we limit it to JUST American players, even then Mike James is not the GOAT American EuroLeague player. As players like: Anthony Parker Shane Larkin would be higher than him on the EuroLeague GOAT ladder for modern players, with guys like: Alphonso Ford Mike Batiste Trajan Langdon Kyle Hines JR Holden also in such a discussion. If we include the FIBA era Americans, then Mike James is also behind a whole bunch of other Americans on the GOAT ladder, like: Clifford Luyk Wayne Brabender Bob Morse Walt Szczerbiak Tal Brody Lou Silver Jim Boatwright Audie Norris Nikos Galis Joe Arlauckas David Rivers Tyus Edney In all honesty, while Mike James has had a really good EuroLeague career, he's not even remotely close to being in the EuroLeague GOAT discussion right now. Maybe IF he wins the EuroLeague MVP this season, AND the EuroLeague championship AND EuroLeague Final Four MVP this season, THEN maybe we can talk about maybe putting him in EuroLeague Top 30 all-time discussions. It's actually insulting and outrageous to so many previous EuroLeague great players that all of these Mike James EuroLeague GOAT videos are popping up everywhere. If we put it in terms of an NBA equivalency, putting Mike James in the EuroLeague GOAT conversation is basically the equivalent of saying Demar Derozan is in the NBA GOAT conversation.

Huh better then curry wtf are u talking about

Glazing Euroleague as usual

How are you comparing lebron’s record to Mike James record? Mike James is the all time leading scorer with over 4,000 points. Wilt Chamberlain scored that much in ONE season

From the tape, his playing style can best be described as ‘What if LiAngelo Ball hadn’t tried to steal from that store in China and developed properly?’

IT just got a 10 day contract with the suns. I guess the miracle finally came

I was actually comparing his game to Van Vleet's. Then I saw it in the video good stuff

He’s a 6’1” ball dominant guard who relies on making tough shots against less athletic defenders in Euro that’s really it

The reason you don't see many people having 4.400 career Euroleague points, is because all the great scorers already declared and went to the NBA. Mike James was simply not good enough for the NBA, no other way around it. He couldn't defend a cone, his three wasn't falling and NBA defenders were too big/long/strong and bullied him. I literally watched every single one of his games as a Net.

To answer your final question... My answer is no, I would not go back to the NBA. When you cross the age of 30, you start to gain better perspective on life, and start to see things for what they are and not what you want them to be. If I went to the NBA and was treated like I was expendable, but I had an opportunity in Europe to cement a legacy, while earning MORE MONEY than I would in the NBA. I'm staying in Europe.

Calling Curry one dimensional is kinda funny, seeing that all this guy can do is score. Doesn’t draw the defense’s attention like Steph and could never move off the ball like Steph. Curry’s passing is a little underrated as well as his ability to finish at the rim. “Better than Curry” stawp it 🙄

Great video 📹 bro i think ima keep up with mike james

such a great video bro

This is how I find out Mike James went to my highschool😂

please do a video on micic hes been playing amazing on the hornets

Net fan favorite Mike Jamessssssssssss

Great to see you uploading! I am a Suns fan so I saw him play back with that team. The offensive system was bad, the coaching staff was allergic to in-game adjustments, the GM wanted to tank, the players were mostly non-NBA caliber and were looking to get-theirs, and it's tough to get any sort of rhythm going in such brief opportunity. It was a shame to see him get waived. If he wanted to stick it out in the US, I am certain he would have been a good player.

"he can't defend and isn't efficient but he's better than most of the NBA" Ok sure.

When asked so far, who is the best player he's played against, Victor Wembanyama named "Mike James".

Compelling Argument. Great Segment!!

Luka was teenager in Euro League ( he was under 18 when played in EU ) :) don't compare Luka as a kid to grown up man.

I’m still in shock how outrageous and bias this video is

I remember him a couple years ago this guy was a BALLER!

Mike James’s game is perfect for the Euroleague just like Jimmer Fredette in China.

can you make a video on why its harder to score in the euroleague

I laughed at all your takes 😂

Undersized and unathletic shouldn’t produce those kinds of dunks 😶

I personally don't like mike james' play style but i liked this video, very well made. I'd pick Parker over him any day of the week, but different times, different teams and even more different basketball

He just a scorer, not a complete player

I can show u 10 mins of kyrie fade aways from the post, mike james is nice but his skill set is not close😂

DKM out here cooking

I definitely see some of the similarities between james and vanfleet. I would even go as far as to say james is a better pure athlete. I think the thing for me though is that fred does a lot of those sneaky little things on defense that make him a more reliable asset when he is at his best, and like you where saying james has a much more iso heavy game and fred is better at operating off ball efficiently. I dont see myself in almost any situation taking a james over vanfleet though. I think another interesting topic would be asking what a prime fred would look like in the euro league. I'm not so sure he would end up being the all time scoring leader, but because of his tool set there is a chance he would have more team success at the highest level. idk it is what it is, good vid.

Luka was 17

If he didn’t make it in the NBA that tells you alot, especially playing along side KD, if you are good you do more than help out, your produce!!!!

i have a interesting theory that maybe just some players playing style is more suited for europe basketball and some players just can play better in the nba bcs luka was great in the euro mvp 32 ppg but he averaged less until recently he needed to get used to do style of play plus he is way taller and better suited for the nba bcs u can get past in the euroleague for being short and in nba its no longer really possible if u dont have a crazy wingspan and if u dont have crazy defense plus the euroleague is more of an defensive league and nba more offense concentrated league

He is perceived as Demar Derozan of Euroleague.

6:27 was that a double dribble?

Also Luka’s rookie year in NBA he averaged 21 a game which isn’t as big a jump as the 32 currently.

It’s not impressive because the best of the best Euro players leave to the NBA after a few years. A comparison is a 5th year college senior who breaks an NCAA record. The best college players already left to the NBA after a year.

how much would doncic avg in euroleague 25ppg?

Good video I agree

Great video DKM! You spent way too long making Ball Bros videos. More stuff like this.

all that traveling back and forth would have stressed me out.

Next story about justine browlee the legend of philippines basketball

“He is an undersized, unathletic guard” proceeds to show him doing an eastbay and baptizing someone off a lob

I remember when Mike was at Lamar University he came off the bench scored 52 and put a guy on a poster, me and my homie lost our shit on that dunk

@ chill bro😂

@1:14 that was real lame to put Kemba's picture there. He blew his knee out and was no longer in the NBA because of injuries. So putting his picture there was a horrible example.

Mike James is a good player, but he has never won a Euroleague tiltle so u can't call him a GOAT

Can't believe every NBA team passed on Mike James even after of proving he could be a perfect backup PG.

Nikos Galis is the one and only undoubtable GOAT of the euroleague

2:20 that’s not a 3rd of the time 😂, it’s over two 3rds of the time.

"A master of everything is a master of none"

Topped watching this the moment he made that steph comment. I just know there's nothing else he has to say worth paying attention to

Bro just said Mike James is undersized and unathletic while showing us clips of him doing self-alley oop dunks in game. Im dead lmao

Does that mean he worse than jeremy lin like both of them undraft and jeremy lin drop 28 on kobe i think

He lose against Olympiacos in over time 😢😔

Goat??? Ballhog mabe…

It's silly comparing the level of play in EuroLeague to the NBA. Even the best European players are playing in the NBA.

lost me with the american math when 27% fewer becomes a third total.

To answer your question about whether or not, he should still try to get to the NBA versus staying in Monaco. I need to know how much you make in the euro league?

Based on this video, the basic eye test alone tells me why he didn’t have a great NBA career. It’s hard to put into words, but it appears like the game is hard for him, like the opposite of the spectrum of someone like KD for example. To me that’s a sign that he is playing at his highest level and would struggle against better defenders and defensive teams.

14:43 Finally, someone says that some players (those that make big internationally) just don't have the playstyle for the NBA or to be bench players on the NBA. In order for them to be effective, you need a specific team and a specific time to use them. This can be a problem for multiple teams, which is why they end up out of the rotation. Then, to make it worse, totally lacks defense...a BIG no no. Undersized,uneficient,overly iso-scoring+ no defense guard .

Bro averaged 16.5 over 258 games, if Bron played in this league he'd average 35. KD would average 38

Undersized: Yes Unathletic: No

DKM, are you going to be following Geli in Mexico!! You are my favorite , hope you do 🎉

Can't we be serious about something yes bron had pass Kareem in scoring but there need to be a * nxt to it cause bron played since 18 and never went to college...thats yrs missed out for Kareem not to mention it will be hard for anyone to break this record now that u are forced to spend a yr in college

28% 3 pt percentage? 47% free throw percentage?? There is no way a pg can have those numbers and stay in NBA...

So, you're saying he's Deron Williams. The utah jazz former pg in the early 2010's

I still think that he could've been nice leader of 2nd unit in the nba

Well.. on the other hand Thomas Heurtel does not play the Euro competitions because of the russian ban, so it’s like having this conversation in NBA while KD being banned 😅

he says the euro league dude and the all time scoring but its no where near the amount of points that lebron had to reach to beat so how about instead of comparing the final score you compare the points on an equal playing field like making it to 4000 points and how long it took and the amount of games

But also, Wilt scored about the same amount of points in one season. Curry will score about 4400 points in 2 seasons. And also he's been playing in the euroleague for 10 yrs, he will need to play for 90 more years to beat the NBA points record. Make a video when he does.

Depends on the salary if its the same amount of salary, stay in Euro. There is nothing in NBA anymore beside, one superstar per team mentality.

Like how he said he beat the all time euro scoring record in less time than lebron but never says what the scoring record was. Like no shit lebron not ever gon to be in the euroleague. Had to look this shit up. Mf it’s 40,000 points vs 4K or 5k. This vid ass

Calling Steph Curry one dimensional is extremely ignorant and shows a lot of sour grapes.

who?

Vanvleet is also a defender. That's the difference

Mike james is the best player i never seen

you lost me when you said 27% was almost one third of the time (33.3333...%) and not... more than a quarter of the time.... (25%), perhaps you thought 30% was a 1/3?

1:09 Even tho he's 1000000% right, as they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

Not athletic!!!???

What if Kevin Durant ask him to be in Phoenix again?.. 🤔🤔🤔

So why is Mike James able to be the go to guy in Europe but not in the NBA? Is it simply nobody is giving him that chance? I heard they play tougher defense in Europe, so this he doesn't play defense doesn't really check out.

Mike James: its easier to score in Europe!😂

less than 4000 in euroleague. over 38000 in nba.

Fred van vleet is way better 3 point shooter!

like the other james, he might win a title if he builds a super team around him. can he?