By RICH MYHRE
Herald Writer
SEATTLE — In his years of professional basketball, Jerome James has been something of a globetrotter.
Including, for a time, being a Globetrotter.
James, new to the Seattle SuperSonics this season, has followed an unconventional path since leaving Florida A&M University in the spring of 1998. He played briefly with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. He spent one season bouncing across Europe, playing with pro teams in Italy, Yugoslavia and France. And, for a brief period in the fall of 1998, he joined the renowned Harlem Globetrotters for an extended European tour.
Those travels have taken the 7-foot-1 James to interesting places. Given a choice, though, he is more than delighted to be in Seattle. Particularly now, since he has moved into the team’s starting lineup after injuries to fellow big men Calvin Booth and Vin Baker.
"I’m just thankful for the opportunity," James said. "This opportunity is very important to me."
James, who turns 26 on Saturday, is an intriguing prospect. Though he has modest offensive skills, he is a capable rebounder and defender. His best game of the season was on Tuesday, when he had 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in 25 minutes against the Phoenix Suns. Those are not All-Star numbers, of course, but they were decent contributions from someone who has just 25 career NBA games under his belt.
He is, said coach Nate McMillan, what the Sonics were hoping to get when they signed him as an offseason free agent. That is, an aggressive defender around the basket and a determined rebounder.
"Defensively, he’s doing some good things," McMillan said. "He’s an offensive-minded guy, but if he concentrates for us on defending the paint, blocking shots and rebounding, there can be some minutes there for him. At times he wants to score, but we have other guys who can put the ball in the basket. We’ll give him a few (chances with the ball), but mainly we need him defending the paint."
James spent last season playing in Europe, but was eager to return to the NBA this year. "I had a goal in mind that kept me focused," he said, "and that was to get back to the NBA."
During the summer, James and his agent spoke with several teams. It was a face-to-face meeting with McMillan that convinced James to sign with Seattle.
"It was Coach Nate who let me know that I had an opportunity here," James said. "After that, it was an easy decision for me. I actually stopped the conversations with everyone else after I talked to Coach Nate personally.
"Out of all the coaches I’ve ever had the opportunity to play for, he is by for the best. He’s the best hands-on instructor that I’ve had the opportunity to play under."
James is a compelling story for other reasons, too. For one, there are his feet, which require a size 22 shoe. Among NBA players, that is second only to Shaquille O’Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers, who wears a size 23. Many of the league’s athletes, because of their tall bodies (and equally big salaries), have clothes specially made. James has his shoes specially made.
Over the years, he said, "I’ve been called all kinds of names. I’ve been called Bigfoot and Sasquatch. I’ve heard everything. But now I can tell people, ‘Hello, how are you doing, and look at where I’m at with these size 22 feet.’"
Also, James stands apart from his pro basketball peers because he never played high school basketball. He attended Pentecostal Christian Academy in Tampa, Fla., a small private school without an athletic program. Neither did James play sports outside of school. Because he has nine brothers and sisters, he ended up getting a job. It was not until his second year at Florida A&M — the 1995-96 school year — that James turned to basketball.
"I’ve been playing catch-up for the last couple of years," he said. "There’s a lot of things that guys know fundamentally that I haven’t had the opportunity to learn. But I’m getting an opportunity here."
How good will he get? No one can say just yet, but the Sonics seem to like what they see. Even when Booth and Baker return to health, James is likely to continue seeing extended minutes.
"If he remains healthy and if he listens to what the staff is trying to tell him," McMillan said, "he has the potential of being a very good center in this league."
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