James grew up in the Minneapolis area and attended DeLaSalle High School, where he graduated in 2014. During his time at DeLaSalle, he played football and basketball. James was also Varsity Team Captain his senior year in basketball and led his team to three consecutive MN state championships. Prior to graduating high school, he also played for the Howard Pulley Panthers summer league and helped bring a national AAU championship to the program. After high school, James received a D2 scholarship at the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota where his career was halted by a series of knee injuries during his Sophomore year. Now, James is looking forward to raising his daughter, as well as furthering his education at Augsburg University and pursuing a career in coaching.