In a 2012 piece for The Tipoff, the magazine of the United States Basketball Writers Association, ESPN.com writer Dana O'Neil called James...the most unconventional of high school dropouts, a kid who grew disenchanted with the social hierarchy of school yet would head to Barnes & Noble to read on the days that he cut.

During this time, he underwent a late growth spurt of 5 inches (13 cm), and soon rose through the ranks of military basketball to the Air Force's all-star team.

This in turn led him to pursue basketball as a potential career path; when his enlistment term expired, he left the Air Force and enrolled at Tallahassee Community College so that he could eventually fully qualify for NCAA Division I.

[16] On February 11, 2015, James signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks, returning to the franchise for a second stint.

[20] On March 12, 2016, he signed with Galatasaray of Turkey for the rest of the 2015–16 Turkish Basketball Super League season.

[22] On January 6, 2017, James signed with French club Limoges CSP for the rest of the 2016–17 Pro A season.