“Mike will be coming through here. Please don’t film and put your phones away,” Anadolu Efes staff told us in the hallway of Belgrade Arena.
Jordan Loyd and Erkan Yılmaz were there as well, both visibly concerned.
“We’ll be there to support him,” Loyd said. “It’s very difficult to see something like that. Everything about the game becomes irrelevant. If anyone can come back from this, it’s him. It will take mental toughness. All we can do is be there for him.”
Moneke: He’s going to get all the love that he should have been getting
View this post on Instagram
About an hour earlier, Belgrade Arena had been left in shock.
Mike James was lying on the floor, and from around 10 meters away, where I was standing, it was immediately clear that something was seriously wrong.
First, he had gone down without contact. Second, he immediately shook his head toward the bench in disbelief, already seeming to know how serious it was.
“I didn’t see it, but obviously, I feel like we know what it is,” Chima Moneke said. “He’s my brother, one of my good friends. I think it’s the part of life where now he’s going to get all the love that he should have been getting all the time.
“He’s a player that everyone has an opinion about, and a lot of people like to talk about him in a certain type of way. But now he’s going to get the love that he’s always deserved.”
Šarić: The crowd recognized that this was a very difficult moment
View this post on Instagram
Once James’ teammates realized the severity of the injury, they formed a circle around him, some holding their heads in disbelief.
It was difficult for anyone in the arena to watch.
After several minutes, James was carried off on a stretcher to a huge round of applause from the stands.
Some things are much bigger than basketball. The Belgrade crowd passed that test.
“James is one of the biggest names and one of the best scorers in EuroLeague history,” Dario Šarić said. “The crowd recognized that this was a very difficult moment for him. They’ve watched him many times. It was a nice gesture from the fans.”
Good luck, Mike
View this post on Instagram
Everyone waited for more information, although – as Moneke had said – by then everyone pretty much knew.
The Achilles tendon. An injury that has derailed or set back far too many basketball careers in recent years.
Not long afterward, James posted a short message on Instagram.
“Well, damn. Fu**ing sucks. Thank you to everybody who reached out. I appreciate everybody.”
The EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer turned 36 in August. The question now is when – and how – James will return to the court.
One thing, however, feels certain. Mike James loves basketball too much to give up on it as long as there is even the smallest chance of becoming the player he was before.
Good luck, Mike.