 James with theTexas Longhorns in 2008 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1987-10-07)October 7, 1987 (age 38) Hobbs, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Nacogdoches (Nacogdoches, Texas) |
| College | Texas (2006–2010) |
| NBA draft | 2010: 1st round, 24th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Atlanta Hawks |
| Playing career | 2010–2018 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 10, 14, 7 |
| Career history | |
| 2010–2012 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2012–2014 | Bakersfield Jam |
| 2013 | Brooklyn Nets |
| 2014–2015 | Texas Legends |
| 2014 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2015 | Alaska Aces |
| 2015 | Le Mans Sarthe Basket |
| 2015 | Sydney Kings |
| 2016 | Cangrejeros de Santurce |
| 2016 | Guaros de Lara |
| 2017 | Cariduros de Fajardo |
| 2017 | Hapoel Eilat |
| 2018 | Capitanes de Arecibo |
| 2018 | Cariduros de Fajardo |
| 2018 | Vaqueros de Bayamón |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Damion Marquez Williams James (born October 7, 1987) is an American former professionalbasketball player who last played forVaqueros de Bayamón of theBaloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball forTexas.
Considered a five-star recruit byRivals.com, James was listed as the No. 7 small forward and the No. 17 player in the nation in 2006.[1] He initially signed to play college basketball at theUniversity of Oklahoma for head coachKelvin Sampson. When Sampson took the head coaching position atIndiana University, the administration at Oklahoma released James from his letter of intent and he switched his decision to Texas.
James started all 35 games, along with fellow freshmenKevin Durant andD. J. Augustin, in leading the Longhorns to a 25–10 record. James averaged 25.9 minutes per contest, with 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds.[2]
James averaged 13.2 points and 10.3 rebounds,[2] helping Texas win a share of the Big 12 regular season title. While talking about the Texas Longhorns on Selection Sunday, Dick Vitale said that James may be the most athletic player in all of college basketball. He also shot 43.6% from behind the arc.
James, along withA. J. Abrams and Justin Mason, started all 35 games for the Texas Longhorns that went 23–12 and advanced to the second round of the2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He averaged 15.4 points and 9.2 rebounds with double doubles in 16 of the games on his way to earning a spot on the All-Big 12 Conference Second Team.[2] On April 15, 2009, James entered his name into the2009 NBA draft, without hiring an agent, and thus retaining his NCAA eligibility.[3] On June 13, 2009, it was reported that James pulled his name from the draft after not being guaranteed a first-round draft position.
As a senior, James averaged 18.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and one assist per game.[2]
James was selected by theAtlanta Hawks with the 24th overall pick in the2010 NBA draft. His rights were later traded to theNew Jersey Nets for the rights of the 27th pickJordan Crawford and 31st pickTibor Pleiß. On July 15, 2010, he signed a multi-year deal with the Nets and subsequently joined them for the 2010 NBA Summer League. On December 9, 2010, James got his first career start against theDallas Mavericks.
In January 2012, it was announced that James would miss the rest of the2011–12 NBA season after undergoing surgery to replace the screw that had been inserted in the broken right foot he suffered theprevious season.[4]
On September 12, 2012, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks. However, he was later waived by the Hawks on October 27, 2012.
On November 1, 2012, James was acquired by theBakersfield Jam of theNBA D-League.[5]
On January 13, 2013, he signed a 10-day with theBrooklyn Nets.[6] On January 23, 2013, he returned to the Jam.[7]
On February 4, 2013, James was named to the Prospects All-Star roster for the 2013 NBA D-League All-Star Game.[8]
In July 2013, James joined the Brooklyn Nets for the Orlando Summer League and the Miami Heat for the Las Vegas Summer League. On September 30, 2013, James signed with theDenver Nuggets.[9] However, he was later waived by the Nuggets on October 26, 2013.[10]
On December 5, 2013, James was reacquired by the Bakersfield Jam.[11] On February 20, 2014, he was traded to the Texas Legends.[12] On April 3, 2014, he signed a 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs.[13] On April 13, 2014, he signed with the Spurs for the rest of the season.[14] On June 15, 2014, he won his first NBA championship after the Spurs defeated theMiami Heat 4 games to 1 in the2014 NBA Finals.
In July 2014, James joined theDetroit Pistons for the2014 NBA Summer League. On September 29, 2014, he signed with theWashington Wizards.[15] However, he was later waived by the Wizards on October 25, 2014.[16] On November 3, 2014, he was reacquired by the Texas Legends.[17] On February 17, 2015, he terminated his contract with the Legends. The next day, he signed with theAlaska Aces as an import for the2015 PBA Commissioner's Cup.[18]
On August 4, 2015, James signed a one-year deal withLe Mans Sarthe Basket of theLNB Pro A.[19] On November 20, 2015, he parted ways with Le Mans after appearing in sixleague games and fiveEurocup games.[20] On December 9, 2015, he signed with theSydney Kings as an injury replacement forJosh Childress.[21] He was released on December 29 following the return of Childress. In five games for the Kings, James averaged 7.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.[22] On January 26, 2016, he signed with theCangrejeros de Santurce of Puerto Rico for the 2016BSN season.[23]
In August 2016, James signed withGuaros de Lara.[24]
On November 4, 2017, James signed with the Israeli teamHapoel Eilat for the 2017–18 season, joining his former teammateMike Rosario.[25] However, on December 13, 2017, he was released by Eilat after appearing in four games.[26] On December 31, he signed withCapitanes de Arecibo of Puerto Rico.[27]
On May 17, 2018, James signed withVaqueros de Bayamón of Puerto Rico after a two-game stint withCariduros de Fajardo.[28]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | New Jersey | 25 | 9 | 16.1 | .447 | .000 | .643 | 3.4 | .8 | .6 | .5 | 4.4 |
| 2011–12 | New Jersey | 7 | 7 | 24.3 | .371 | .000 | .667 | 4.7 | .4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.9 |
| 2012–13 | Brooklyn | 2 | 0 | .0 | — | — | — | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 2013–14† | San Antonio | 5 | 1 | 10.0 | .222 | .000 | 1.000 | 2.4 | .6 | .0 | .2 | 1.2 |
| Career | 39 | 17 | 16.0 | .415 | .000 | .667 | 3.4 | .7 | .6 | .5 | 3.8 | |
