Who is James Harden? A Basketball Reference

James Harden is one of the best basketball players in the world. He’s a superstar for the Houston Rockets and he’s one of the most popular players in the NBA. But who is he? What’s his story?

A lot of people know James Harden as the bearded guy with the killer crossover, but there’s more to him than that. He’s a fascinating player with a unique story, and we’re going to explore that story in this blog post.

Who is James Harden?

James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Arizona State where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden was selected with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder

In 2012, he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the Thunder and helped lead them to the NBA Finals He was traded to Houston before the start of the 2012–13 season. In 2015, he was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player Award after being voted unanimously by first-place votes. He has been selected to seven All-Star teams, including six consecutive starts from 2014 to 2019. He has led the league in scoring three times: in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

On January 31, 2021, Harden scored his 20,000th career point against his former team, Oklahoma City Thunder becoming one of two active players to reach that plateau joining Lebron James who did so earlier that day.

A Basketball Reference

James Harden is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born on August 26, 1989, in Los Angeles California. Harden played college basketball for Arizona State University before he was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft He was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012.

His Early Life and Career

James Harden was born on August 26, 1989, in Los Angeles California. He played High School basketball at Artesia high school in Lakewood, California. He then went on to play College Basketball at Arizona State University

Harden was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft He played for the Thunder for three seasons before being traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012.

Since joining the Rockets, Harden has become one of the best players in the NBA. He was named league MVP in 2018 and has been selected to eight All-Star teams. He is also a two-time scoring champion and a three-time assist leader.

His Time with the Thunder

In his three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder James Harden was an excellent role player and complementary piece to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook He played a key role in the team’s run to the 2012 NBA Finals averaging 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range in 21 postseason contests.

Despite his success with the Thunder, Harden was never able to establish himself as a full-time starter during his time in Oklahoma City He averaged just 26.7 minutes per game over his three seasons with the team, coming off the bench behind All-Star small forward Durant.

His Time with the Rockets

In 2012, the Houston Rockets acquired James Harden in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder In his first season with the Rockets, he was named sixth man of the Year. The following year, he was named NBA Most Valuable Player

Under Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, Harden helped lead the Rockets to the best record in the NBA in 2017-18. He averaged 30.4 points per game that season, earning his second MVP Award

Harden has continued to be one of the league’s Top Players in subsequent seasons. In 2019-20, he averaged 34.3 points per game leading the Rockets to a playoff berth.

His Accolades and Awards

James Harden is an American Professional Basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association He played College Basketball for Arizona State where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden was selected with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder

In 2012, he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the Thunder and helped them reach the NBA Finals where they lost to the Miami Heat in five games. He was traded to Houston before the start of the 2012–13 season. In his first season with the Rockets, he was named an NBA All-Star and led Houston to a playoff berth.

His first All-Star nod came in 2013–14, when he also earned a place on the All-NBA Third Team. In 2014–15, Harden led the Rockets to their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1997 and their first playoff series victory since 2009. He became only the fifth player in history to score 2,000 points in a season while dishing out 500 assists, joining Oscar Robertson John Stockton Magic Johnson and Jerry West

His Personal Life

James Edward Harden Jr. was born on August 26, 1989, in Los Angeles California. He is the son of Sarah and James Harden Sr. When he was just nine years old, his parents divorced and he went to live with his mother in Lakewood. His mother worked multiple jobs to support him and his two sisters. She would often take them to her job at a community center where they would play basketball while she worked. It was here that Harden began to develop his love and skills for the game. When he was eleven, his mother remarried and the family moved to Artesia. Harden continued to hone his skills on the court and began to attract the attention of college scouts when he was in high school

Harden played basketball for Artesia high school where he led his team to back-to-back State Championships in 2006 and 2007. He was twice named MVP of the State Tournament and was also named a McDonald’s All-American. In 2008, he chose to play college basketball at Arizona State University

At Arizona State Harden quickly established himself as one of the best players in the country. He was named first-team All-Pac-10 as a sophomore after averaging 17.8 points per game After his sophomore year, he decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility and declare for the NBA draft

His Off-Court Activities

In addition to his on-court successes, Harden is also known for his charitable work and off-court activities. In 2015, he donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign started by the family of a girl who had been hit in the head by a baseball. He has also worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Kids Foot Locker

In his spare time, Harden enjoys playing Video games and listening to music. He is a fan of the TV show Martin and the movie Friday.

His Legacy

James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Arizona State where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden was selected with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder

In 2012, he helped lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He was traded to Houston prior to the 2012–13 season. In his first year with his new team, Harden became one of only four players in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game off the bench and he won another Sixth Man of the Year Award

He subsequently became a starter and led Houston to three consecutive playoff appearances. He helped lead Houston to an Western Conference championship in 2015 and 2017. In 2018, he earned his first MVP award and led Houston to their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.

Harden is a six-time All-Star and has been named All-NBA eight times, including five times to the First Team. He has also led the league in scoring three times: in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

His Future

James Harden is one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA today Throughout his career, he has shown an ability to put up points in a hurry. In fact, he is currently the only player averaging over 30 points per game in the last three seasons. However, his future is not without question marks.

Despite his scoring prowess, Harden has never been able to lead his team to an NBA title In addition, his style of play is often criticized as being too risky and athleticism-reliant. As he approaches 30 years old, there is a chance that his game could begin to decline.

Only time will tell what the future holds for James Harden But one thing is for sure: he has cemented himself as one of the best scorers in Basketball History