James Harden discusses lack of credit for everything he’s accomplished
DETROIT–Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden is a surefire Hall of Famer regardless of whether he wins a title in his career or not. The 33-year-old out of Arizona State has done everything an NBA player can do in the league except for winning the title.
Harden won the MVP award in 2018 when he threw the Houston Rockets on his back and led them to the No. 1 seed in the West and one away from the NBA finals. He’s won three scoring titles and he led the league in assists in 2017.
He also made scoring look so easy. Harden is one of the best scorers in the history of the game being able to knock down absurd shots and get to the free-throw line. In his MVP season, he scored 51 points in back-to-back games and he recorded a 60-point triple-double. He has three games of scoring at least 60 points and he has 23 games in his career with at least 50. Only Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant have more such games.
With the NBA seeing so many crazy scoring nights in the 2022-23 season, one has to wonder if Harden receives enough credit. He would have those types of nights regularly during his heyday.
“I don’t need the credit,” said Harden after thinking about it for a bit. “I don’t really care. I guess people give credit to who they want to give credit to. You know what I mean? Like, they pick and choose who they want to give credit to.”
When looking around the league and seeing what Luka Doncic is doing in the scoring department or after Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points, it always seems like somebody is having some type of career night.
The thing is, Harden did things like these in his sleep while with the Rockets. While for most, it’s a career night, for him, it was just a regular Tuesday.
“If I was to sit there and feel some type of way that I wasn’t getting any credit, I wouldn’t be doing a million other things that I’m supposed to be doing,” Harden added. “I focus on what I can control. I go out there and do my job and try to be the best James Harden I can be.”
In Sunday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, Harden had his 71st career triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. The Beard is 8th in NBA history in triple-doubles just adding to his incredible resume.
“I guess you’re impacting the game in more than one way,” said Harden. “So just trying to find ways to put my footprint on the game. Whether it’s scoring, whether it’s helping the bigs rebound, or being the facilitator I am. So, obviously, it’s a good thing. You don’t ever want to take them for granted, but it means you’re impacting the game in more than one way.”
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