The EuroLeague's all-time top scorer continues to enhance his legacy in the competition
Mike James is the first player to reach 5,000 points in the EuroLeague
Article
2 Mins read
With his 11th point for AS Monaco against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on Wednesday night, Mike James has become the first player in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague history to reach 5,000 career points.
The EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer came into Round 25 of the 2024-25 season on 4,989 points for his career in 306 games, giving him a career average of 16.3 points per night.
James finished the night with a game-high 19 points, giving him 5,008 points for his career in 307 EuroLeague appearances.
It was fitting that he broke the record in a game against Baskonia as he started his EuroLeague career with the Spanish club, playing there between 2014 and 2016.
James is a scoring machine, as he has shown with each of the five clubs he has suited up for in the EuroLeague. Here is how his scoring has been distributed:
- 467 points in 45 games with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
- 522 points in 37 games for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
- 595 points in 30 games with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
- 1,112 points in 55 games with CSKA Moscow
- 2,293 points in 139 games with Monaco (prior to Round 25)
Surprisingly, James has only secured the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy on one occasion, which came during his only season in Milan in 2018-19. Yet his consistent rate of scoring has seen him write his name further into the EuroLeague history books and earned him many, many fans along the way.
James surpassed another EuroLeague legend in Vassilis Spanoulis to become the competition's all-time leading scorer last March, and the American now finds himself as the sole member of the 5,000-point club.
Spanoulis called James to congratulate on passing him on the all-time scoring charts back in March of last year, but he was able to tell him in person on this occasion – this time as his head coach.
Still going strong at 34, James's legacy in the EuroLeague continues to be enhanced with each passing season. The question is, with his deal at Monaco running until 2027, how long will it take James to reach 6,000 points? Knowing him, sooner than we think.