Jerome Keith James (November 17 1975 in Tampa, Florida) is a professional basketball player in the NBA. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft and has played for the Kings, the Seattle SuperSonics and the New York Knicks.
At 7'1" (2.16 m.) and 272 lbs. (123.4 kg), James has averaged 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game during his career, and ranked sixth in the NBA in personal fouls (276) in the 2004-2005 season while playing 16 minutes per game. Despite his huge stature and athletic ability, especially for a man of his size, James has remained a career backup, mostly due to the alarming rate at which he is charged with personal fouls, and lack of effort on the court. During his tenure with Seattle, he was criticized by the media for his laziness, having once fallen asleep during a team meeting. However, James played respectably during the 2004-05 playoffs, averaging 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 11 games against the Kings and San Antonio Spurs. After the season, he signed a 5-year $30 million contract with the Knicks, a figure which, even by today's standards, is considered astronomical for a player of his caliber.