James Harden
American basketball player (b. )
About
On draft day in 2009, James Harden is taken third overall and then spends his first years as a bench player in Oklahoma City. The decision to trade him changes the modern game. In 2011-12, Harden comes off the bench for Oklahoma City, averages 16.8 points, wins NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and helps the Thunder reach the Finals that June. When contract talks stall, Oklahoma City trades Harden to the Houston Rockets on October 27, 2012, and he immediately steps into a starring role. Harden starts his Houston career with 37 and 45 points in his first two games, an early sign of the offensive force he would soon become. In 2017-18, Harden leads the NBA at 30.4 points per game and wins MVP. His step-back three and heavy free-throw rate are changing the way guards put up points. From 2013 to 2022, Harden makes 10 straight All-Star teams and leads Houston to 65 wins in 2018, but a title never comes. In January 2021, Harden asks for a trade to Brooklyn to team up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Injuries and chemistry problems break it apart within a year. He went from sixth man to ten-time All-Star and MVP, and that rise changed offensive basketball. His step-back jumper is now a standard part of the game. 📄 Image Credits All images via Wikimedia Commons:- James Harden: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harden_dribbling_midcourt%2C_Cavaliers_vs_Nets_on_January_17%2C_2022_%28cropped%29.jpg See links for full license details. 🔔 Subscribe for more forgotten stories from history: [Your Channel Link] 💬 Which James Harden moment changed how you saw him as a player? #NBADraft #SixthMan #NBA #Thunder #HoustonRockets #Trade #JamesHarden #DidYouKnow #MVP #ScoringChampion #AllStar #BasketballHistory #BrooklynNets #NBATrades #StepBack #Hoops