Sometimes players who are traded in the NBA do not seem to find their footing in a new place with their new team, resulting in them falling off a bit.
This is not the case with James Harden, as being dealt to the Houston Rockets in 2012 ended up being the best thing to ever be happy for him over what is now a 13-year career.
On this day in 1989, James Harden was born in Los Angeles, California and while he was not a superstar talent early on in his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he showed flashes of his full potential.
Winning the 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year award and helping the Thunder reach the NBA Finals in 2012 alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Harden requested a trade from Oklahoma City due to the fact that the team was not going to offer him the contract extension that he had hoped for following his third season in the league.
Going from the “sixth man” on the Thunder to “the guy” in Houston, James Harden quickly burst onto the scene and made his first All-Star appearance in his first season with the Rockets, averaging 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists. per game during the 2012-13 season.
Since this 2012-13 season, Harden has been named an All-Star each and every season and the peak years of his career were historic.
Averaging 30.4 points per game during the 2017-18 season, 36.1 points per game during the 2018-19 season and 34.3 points per game during the 2019-20 season, Harden is just one of eight players in NBA history to average at least 30.0 points. per game in three consecutive seasons and during the 2018-19 season, Harden became the first player in NBA history to score at least 30 points against all other 29 teams in the league in a single season.
Leading the league in scoring for three consecutive seasons from 2017-2019, leading the league in assists during the 2016-17 season and winning the MVP award during the 2017-18 season, James Harden is one of the best players of this generation and he was recently named one of the top players in NBA history with his NBA 75th Anniversary Team selection.
Now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, Harden has his sights set on doing the only thing left to do in his career – win a championship.
Alongside MVP candidate Joel Embiid, many believe that the 76ers have their best chance yet to win a title, something they have not done as a franchise since 1983 with Moses Malone and Julius “Dr. J” Erving.
Since the 2011-12 season, Harden has not averaged less than 22.0 points per game over the course of a season and his 2,273 made three-pointers since the start of the 2012-13 season are the second-most in the league, trailing only Stephen Curry’s mark of 2,745 made threes.
James Harden currently resides third on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers made list, trailing Ray Allen by 253 made threes, and Harden ranks 28th on the league’s all-time scoring list. Averaging about 1,805 points a season over the course of his career, James Harden would move to 22nd all-time during the 2022-23 season should he make his average exactly.
Say what you want about him, but if there is one word to describe James Harden and his career, it would simply be “dominant.”
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