Damion James taking a free-throw against Texas A&M on Februay 18, 2008. Photo by Aaron Vazquez
The San Antonio Spurs announced yesterday that Damion James has joined us for the year. But what do we really know about Damion James? Does he understand the rules of basketball? Could he explain them to me?
I scoured the Internet to see what I could dig up on Damion James and exactly how he got here. By the looks of it, James had his own set of struggles he faced before coming to us.
- Damion Marquez William James was born on October 7, 1987 to Katrina Williams, when she was 16 years-old.
- He grew up in a rough neighborhood in Nacogdoches, Texas where drugs and violence were a regular thing he struggled to avoid.
- He played basketball in high school, and it kept him out of trouble. He won a Gatorade Player of the Year, an award that recognizes outstanding high school athletes, in 2006.
- He had a list of colleges he wanted to attend and basketball for, which included: Oklahoma, Florida, Arizona, Baylor, Texas A&M, LSU, Kansas, and UT where he eventually attended.
- Finishing up at UT in 2010, he believed he didn’t need time to develop to play at the NBA level. The Nets picked him up as the 24th draft pick.
- Early in his first season, James broke his foot in December of 2010.
- After a surgery, it healed. Unfortunately, he suffered even more injuries in 2011, including a concussion, and a sprained ankle. He had to get a second foot surgery in 2012, and that took him out of the season. The Nets did not renew his contract.
- James was passed over by the Hawks for a one-year contract in October 2012.
- In July 2013, James said he felt “100 percent, and ready to go,” with his foot fully healed.
- After joining the Spurs on a 10-day contract, he’s signed on for a full-year with.
- His salary for this year is a respectable $68,902.
Life and injuries haven’t always been kind to James. We feel for the guy. And we’re happy to have him. Welcome to the Spurs, James!
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2014.