Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Tim James
NBA players who compare big games to that of going to war have nothing on Tim James. The former first-round draft pick of the Miami Heat gave up his basketball career last year and joined the U.S. Army, becoming the first former NBA player to serve in Iraq.
After spending eight years trying to make it as a professional basketball player, James decided he could best spend his time serving his country. He spent three seasons playing in the NBA, for three different teams, before going overseas and playing for teams in Japan, Turkey and Israel. In 2001-2002, as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, his salary was $943,252.
James, now a sergeant, is based at Camp Speicher, near Tikrit, which continues to be a hotbed of violence. Instead of defending against bruising forwards, James helps spot insurgents trying to plant improvised explosive devices as part of Task Force ODIN (Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize).
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Ex-NBA Player Finds True Calling in Army (by Tim Reynolds, Associated Press)
Tim James Basketball Career Stats (Basketball Reference.com)
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