James Harden: The Scoring Genius Who Changed Modern Basketball:
James Harden, who was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 26, 1989, is regarded as one of the best shooting guards in NBA history. Additionally, he was a key figure in the three-point shot's popularization, which revolutionized contemporary basketball. Harden was voted the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2018 and won three scoring championships. He has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Los Angeles Clippers.
James Harden was reared primarily by his mother, however he was born in Los Angeles to Monja Willis and James Harden Sr. The family resided in Compton, California, and comprised a sister and a half-brother. James Harden concentrated more on baseball in his early years, pitching and playing first base. But while playing for a recreational team in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood at the age of ten, he developed a deep love for basketball. Later, he went to nearby Lakewood, California’s Artesia High School, where he averaged roughly 19 points per game while leading his team to consecutive state titles in both his junior and senior years.
Several prominent Pac-10 (later Pac-12) universities, including UCLA, the University of Washington, and the University of Arizona, actively recruited James Harden. In the end, he decided to join the Arizona State Sun Devils. He led the conference in steals during his rookie year (2007–08), averaging 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He was selected for both the All-Freshman Team and the Pac-10 First Team.
The following season, he averaged 20.1 points and 4.2 assists per game, further improving his effectiveness. James Harden was selected as a consensus All-American and won Pac-10 Player of the Year. Harden entered the NBA Draft following the Sun Devils’ elimination in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
James Harden was chosen by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the third overall pick in the draft. Despite not starting in his rookie season (2009–10), he averaged 9.9 points per game while playing 76 games off the bench, earning a position on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He spent the following two seasons playing off the bench, averaging over 17 points, 3.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game in 2011–12. The Thunder lost to the Miami Heat in five games despite making it to the NBA Finals that season.
James Harden received the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, which is given to the most influential bench player in the league. He was also a member of the American men’s basketball team that won the gold medal in the London Olympics in 2012. Around this time, Harden gained notoriety for both his game and his thick beard, which became his trademark appearance.
James Harden turned down Oklahoma City’s offer of a four-year, $55 million contract extension during the offseason. He was traded to the Houston Rockets shortly before the 2012–13 regular season began, and the Rockets promptly signed him to a five-year, $80 million contract extension. Harden went from a bench position to the starting lineup, where he was anticipated to be the team’s top player. With an average of 25.9 points per game and his first NBA All-Star selection, he swiftly proved the Rockets correct.
Houston made it to the playoffs for the first time in four years that year, but they were eliminated in the opening round. James Harden finished second in the MVP voting behind Stephen Curry in the 2014–15 season, averaging 27.4 points per game and increasing his assists to 7 per game. The Harden-led Rockets were one of the most successful teams of the 2010s despite their lack of strong postseason campaigns.
James Harden won his first NBA MVP title in the 2017–18 season, averaging 30.4 points and 8.8 assists per game. That season, he also won his first NBA scoring championship. He led the league in scoring in both 2018–19 and 2019–20 with averages of 36.1 and 34.3 points per game, respectively. Harden’s lethal step-back three-pointer, in which he takes a step backward before shooting, has been a key factor in his success. The number of three-point shots attempted and made in the NBA surged dramatically as a result of this change, which gained enormous popularity around the league.
The Rockets made it to the playoffs each season while James Harden was a member, but they never made it past the Western Conference Finals. Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets early in 2020 after requesting a trade in 2020. Despite having a more restricted role, he continued to produce impressive numbers despite starting to struggle with hamstring problems.
Even with a star-studded roster that included Kevin Durant, his former colleague from the Thunder, the Nets were unable to make the playoffs. Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the middle of the 2021–2022 season, where he partnered with Joel Embiid, a strong center.
James Harden recovered from setbacks and had a strong season in 2022–2023. Despite being left off the All-Star squad for the first time after ten consecutive selections, he had one of his best seasons as a playmaker, averaging 10.7 assists per game in a new supporting position. But in August 2023, following a playoff defeat in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Harden asked for another trade, and in October, he was acquired by the Los Angeles Clippers.