Suspended by Monaco a few weeks ago, and great absent from the Betclic Elite finals against Paris, Mike James was finally reinstated by the Roca Team this Monday.
A confusing timing. Mike James, captain and leader of the Monaco basketball club, was “officially and fully reinstated” to the club’s workforce, the Principality’s club announced in a statement released on Monday evening.
Slightly injured in the forearm during the final of the Euroligue lost against Fenerbahçe (70-81), on May 25, Mike James, 34, was subsequently suspended from June 2, while the deadlines of the end of the season were profiled, “due to an offense to the internal regulations of the club”, which then indicated the club, required “complementary investigations”.
Sources close to the file, it was indicated that the American star of La Roca Team, at the club since the 2021-2022 season and under contract until 2027, had been involved in a fight in a Monaco establishment.
Back for next season
“He was temporarily withdrawn from the team’s activities following an incident outside the field which, although unrelated to his conduct as a player, had an impact on his recovery and required an internal exam,” the club said on Monday evening. “After an in -depth examination, it was confirmed that Mike had been involuntarily involved by trying to protect other people,” continued the ASM, which assures that, now “the case is entirely resolved and everyone turns to the future”.
Mike James, who had already been suspended for two weeks for inappropriate behavior in March 2023, did not participate in the playoffs of the French championship, which ended in a defeat in the Monaco final, double title holder, against Paris Basketball (3 victories at 2).
The club ensures Monday evening that “the events of recent weeks have not altered the foundations on which AS Monaco Basket is built”. Under these conditions, adds the ASM, Mike James “remains under contract until 2027 and will return to the field for the 2025-2026 season once the medical team has given its green light”. Currently in the United States, the best scorer in the history of Euroligue (5,276 points) brought Monaco twice until the end 4 of the competition but never won it.
