By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The road to the Betclic Elite Playoffs has taken a disastrous turn for AS Monaco. Just days after the EuroLeague exit at the hands of Olympiacos, La Roca Team must now navigate the last two games of the 2025-26 Regular Season and the first postseason contest in France’s top-tier division without Mike James.
The 35-year-old point guard has been handed a three-game league suspension following a disciplinary ruling regarding his conduct toward an official during the Round 27 clash against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on April 19. The decision to revoke a previous suspended sentence from November marks a massive blow for a squad already reeling from physical and emotional fatigue.
The three-game ban sidelines James for this Sunday’s home game versus Paris, which can perhaps determine the top seed for the playoff bracket. Beyond the Paris clash in Salle Gaston Medecin, he will miss the regular-season finale against Boulazac and, perhaps most crucially, the opening game of the Playoffs. This absence adds a somber note to his departure, as James has already confirmed he will leave at the end of the season, concluding a legendary five-year stint with Monaco.
With Juhann Begarin also currently serving a league suspension, Monaco’s backcourt depth is being pushed to its absolute breaking point at the worst possible moment. Compounding the crisis is a medical room that remains crowded with key contributors. Alpha Diallo, Daniel Theis, and Nikola Mirotic are unavailable, while Matthew Strazel’s status is uncertain following a rib injury sustained at the bottom end of the continental journey.