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Photo by: Duke Athletics
James Represents Duke on Academic All-America® Men’s Basketball Team
4/15/2025 12:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
AUSTIN, Texas - Duke men's basketball guard Sion James is one of just 15 student-athletes voted to the 2024-25 Academic All-America® Men's Basketball Team for NCAA Division I, as selected by College Sports Communicators.
James is the 13th Blue Devil in program history to garner Academic All-America® honors, and the first to do so since Grayson Allen in 2016.
A native of Sugar Hill, Georgia, James earned second-team Academic All-America® distinction with a 3.76 grade point average as a Duke graduate student majoring in continuing studies.
On the hardwood, James was voted to the 2024-25 ACC All-Defensive Team and ranked third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4) as a starting guard for the Blue Devils, who advanced to the Final Four and ranked No. 3 in the final Associated Press top-25 poll with a record of 35-4. He averaged 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, appearing in all 39 contests. Duke posted a record of 30-2 with James in the starting lineup.
James was also honored in March as a member of the inaugural Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Winter), recognizing 20 standout student-athletes across collegiate winter sports for their exceptional achievements in community service, athletics and academics.
Since arriving at Duke in the summer of 2024, James established himself as a powerful force in the Durham community through his efforts with the Sion James Foundation. He created the One-4-All Toy Drive to benefit children in need in Durham, collecting 1,800 toys for kids during the holiday season, and teamed up with non-profit Samaritan's Feet to provide 4,000 underserved people in Durham with a new pair of shoes.
James transferred to Duke from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he achieved Dean's List merit every semester, was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma honor society for student-athletes and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Management from the Freeman School of Business with a 3.78 overall GPA. He was a recipient of the Tulane 34 Award, presented to 34 graduates who distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate life through exemplary leadership, service and academic excellence. In addition, James was a recipient of the Freeman School of Business Dean's Service Award and the Newcomb-Tulane College Student-Athlete Award, having completed nearly 350 hours of community service. As a two-time chair of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he created community service opportunities for all 450 Tulane student-athletes. James also became the first player to win the AAC Sportsmanship Award twice, earning the distinction in both 2023 and 2024.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".
#GoDuke
DUKE MEN'S BASKETBALL ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA
(21 honors by 13 different players)
Jay Buckley 1963
Jay Buckley 1964
Dick DeVenzio 1971
Gary Melchionni (2nd) 1972
Bob Fleischer (2nd) 1974
Bob Fleischer 1975
Mike Gminski (1st) 1978
Jim Spanarkel (1st) 1978
Mike Gminski (1st) 1979
Jim Spanarkel (1st) 1979
Mike Gminski 1980
Quin Snyder (2nd) 1989
Shane Battier (1st) 2000
Shane Battier (1st) 2001
Mike Dunleavy (2nd) 2002
Greg Paulus (3rd) 2008
Greg Paulus (3rd) 2009
Mason Plumlee (1st) 2012
Mason Plumlee (1st) 2013
Grayson Allen (2nd) 2016
Sion James (2nd) 2025
As selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC)
James is the 13th Blue Devil in program history to garner Academic All-America® honors, and the first to do so since Grayson Allen in 2016.
A native of Sugar Hill, Georgia, James earned second-team Academic All-America® distinction with a 3.76 grade point average as a Duke graduate student majoring in continuing studies.
On the hardwood, James was voted to the 2024-25 ACC All-Defensive Team and ranked third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4) as a starting guard for the Blue Devils, who advanced to the Final Four and ranked No. 3 in the final Associated Press top-25 poll with a record of 35-4. He averaged 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, appearing in all 39 contests. Duke posted a record of 30-2 with James in the starting lineup.
James was also honored in March as a member of the inaugural Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Winter), recognizing 20 standout student-athletes across collegiate winter sports for their exceptional achievements in community service, athletics and academics.
Since arriving at Duke in the summer of 2024, James established himself as a powerful force in the Durham community through his efforts with the Sion James Foundation. He created the One-4-All Toy Drive to benefit children in need in Durham, collecting 1,800 toys for kids during the holiday season, and teamed up with non-profit Samaritan's Feet to provide 4,000 underserved people in Durham with a new pair of shoes.
James transferred to Duke from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he achieved Dean's List merit every semester, was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma honor society for student-athletes and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Management from the Freeman School of Business with a 3.78 overall GPA. He was a recipient of the Tulane 34 Award, presented to 34 graduates who distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate life through exemplary leadership, service and academic excellence. In addition, James was a recipient of the Freeman School of Business Dean's Service Award and the Newcomb-Tulane College Student-Athlete Award, having completed nearly 350 hours of community service. As a two-time chair of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he created community service opportunities for all 450 Tulane student-athletes. James also became the first player to win the AAC Sportsmanship Award twice, earning the distinction in both 2023 and 2024.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".
#GoDuke
DUKE MEN'S BASKETBALL ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA
(21 honors by 13 different players)
Jay Buckley 1963
Jay Buckley 1964
Dick DeVenzio 1971
Gary Melchionni (2nd) 1972
Bob Fleischer (2nd) 1974
Bob Fleischer 1975
Mike Gminski (1st) 1978
Jim Spanarkel (1st) 1978
Mike Gminski (1st) 1979
Jim Spanarkel (1st) 1979
Mike Gminski 1980
Quin Snyder (2nd) 1989
Shane Battier (1st) 2000
Shane Battier (1st) 2001
Mike Dunleavy (2nd) 2002
Greg Paulus (3rd) 2008
Greg Paulus (3rd) 2009
Mason Plumlee (1st) 2012
Mason Plumlee (1st) 2013
Grayson Allen (2nd) 2016
Sion James (2nd) 2025
As selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC)
Players Mentioned
G
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