Justin Taylor James (born January 24, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wyoming Cowboys.[1][2][3] He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft.[4][5][6]
A native of Port St. Lucie, Florida, James was an unheralded basketball recruit out of high school, generating only one high-major offer from Mississippi State, before ultimately going to the University of Wyoming.[7] He became a full-time contributor by his sophomore year and increased his scoring average each year.[7] James led the Mountain West Conference in scoring during his final season at Wyoming, averaging 22.1 points per game as a senior,[4][5][6][7] despite playing as a point guard, a position he does not normally play, because Wyoming needed James to have the ball as much as possible during an 8–24 season.[7] He also led the Cowboys with 8.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game,[5][6] and made second-team All-Mountain West. James had a three-point field goal percentage of 33.7 percent during his college career.[4] Despite his high scoring, James posted career lows in field goal percentage (40.9 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (29.6 percent) during his senior high, as well as 4.1 turnovers per game.[7]
James finished his college career with 2,061 points, the third highest in Mountain West history.[6] He also participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, one of 64 seniors from around the country invited to the event.[8]
James was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft with the 40th overall pick,[4][5] and became the first University of Wyoming player drafted since the Los Angeles Lakers selected Larry Nance Jr. in 2015.[5] CBS Sports had ranked James as the 96th-best prospect heading into the draft, while the Sporting News and NBADraft.net had him unranked, and most mock drafts did not predict he would be picked.[7] Sacramento general manager Vlade Divac said the team drafted him because they followed his college career and appreciated his passion and production: "We talked to everybody about his professionalism and his love for the game. We were so excited when we spent time with him in Sacramento."[7] On July 10, 2019, the Sacramento Kings announced that they had signed James.[9] On October 25, 2019, James made his debut in the NBA, coming off the bench in a 112–122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers with two points.[10] He scored 30 points for the G League's Stockton Kings in a win over the Iowa Wolves on January 11, 2020.[11]
On September 22, 2021, James signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.[12] However, he was waived on October 1.[13] On October 13, he signed with Cleveland Cavaliers,[14] but was waived three days later.[15] On October 23, he signed with the Cleveland Charge as an affiliate player.[16] James averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.[17]
On December 26, 2021, the New Orleans Pelicans signed James to a 10-day contract.[17] However, he never appeared in a game for the team.
On January 5, 2022, James was reacquired by the Cleveland Charge.[18]
James joined the Orlando Magic for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[19]
On December 13, 2022, James signed with Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A.[20]
On March 2, 2023, James was re-acquired by the Cleveland Charge.[21]