Mike James confirms: “It was a done deal, but then…”

Mike James has broken his silence regarding the negotiations with Barcelona that could have brought him back to the Spanish league (where he had previously played for Baskonia from 2014 to 2016), before signing with Anadolu Efes. In an interview with ‘Eurohoops’ during the Turkish club’s preseason media day, the American veteran—who also played for Olimpia Milano during the 2018–2019 season—admitted that the transfer to Barça was practically finalized before the dramatic turn of events.

“Basically, I was a Barcelona player,” James said. “Then that deal fell through. I don’t really know all the details, but I suddenly found myself back on the market and tried to hear from as many teams as possible to understand what they thought of me and how they saw me fitting into their teams.” After the move to the Blaugrana fell through, the point guard considered several options before choosing Anadolu Efes: a deal that, contrary to what one might have imagined, wasn’t finalized immediately.

James explained that the Istanbul club was still sorting out some internal matters, starting with the situation involving Shane Larkin, who eventually ended up at Fenerbahçe: “I think they were still trying to figure out what they were going to do with Shane. I don’t know his situation, and it’s none of my business, but there was still a chance he might stay. In the meantime, I’d been in touch with other teams, trying to figure out what the best solution was.”

James is now ready to give his all for Efes after his time with Monaco, the club where he played from 2021 until last spring: “Efes has won the EuroLeague two years in a row, and winning makes you a great club. It’s true that there have been some difficulties lately, but consistently being at the top for several years still puts you in the same league as the big clubs.”