James Harden is a professional basketball player in the United States who presently represents the ‘Houston Rockets.’ The third-seeded ‘National Basketball Association’ (NBA) player began his career with the ‘Oklahoma City Thunder’ in 2009 before joining the ‘Rockets’ in 2012. James is noted for his flawless talents and ability to score big points, which frequently assist his team win big games. His outstanding abilities and commitment to the game have garnered him numerous awards, including the ‘NBA Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) and the ‘PAC Player of the Year.’ He’s also been a member of the ‘All-NBA Team’ and ‘NBA All-Star’ teams. James’ facial hair has become his signature and has wowed followers all over the world. In 2009, he got famous for his beard, which he hasn’t shaved since. His beard has earned him the moniker “The Beard,” and it frequently appears in songs and on T-shirts. James is also the only player in NBA history to score 60 points and have a triple-double. He achieved the feat in 2018, breaking Calvin Murphy’s previous record of 57 points. He also represented his country at the 2012 ‘Olympics,’ where they won gold, and the 2014 ‘FIBA Basketball World Cup.’ He primarily serves as a shooting guard.
Childhood and Adolescence
Monja Wills and James Harden Sr. gave birth to James Edward Harden Jr. on August 26, 1989, in Los Angeles, California. At the time of his birth, his father was a member of the ‘US Navy,’ while his mother worked as an administrator for ‘AT&T’ in Pasadena.
Due to his drug problems, James’ father spent a lot of time in jail. As a result, James has distanced himself from his father and continues to refuse to use the suffix “Jr.” in his name.
James spent most of his childhood in Compton’s ‘Rancho Dominguez’ neighborhood. He had two siblings: a half-sister named Arnique Jelks and a half-brother named Akili Roberson.
James went to Lakewood, California’s ‘Artesia High School.’ He then went on to play for ‘Arizona State.’
Early on in your career
Before becoming a professional, James began playing basketball in high school and went through college. In his sophomore year, he led ‘Artesia’ to a 28–5 record.
With a record of 33–1, he led ‘Artesia’ to the California state title in his junior year, and then 33–2 in his senior year, retaining the title of state champions. He was designated a ‘McDonald’s All-American,’ as well as being named to the ‘Parade All-American’ second team.
‘Pump-N-Run Elite,’ his ‘AAU’ team, also won the 2006 ‘Las Vegas Adidas Super 64 Championship.’ His freshman year at ‘Arizona State’ was, however, far from ideal.
The ‘Sun Devils,’ his squad, were regarded as one of the poorest in the ‘Pac-10.’ James led his team to a 9–9 conference record, a 21–13 overall score, and a tie for fifth place in the Pac-10 with sophomore point guard Derek Glasser and junior big Ty Pendergraph.
The ‘Sun Devils’ missed the 2008 ‘NCAA Tournament,’ instead competing in the ‘National Invitation Tournament,’ winning twice before losing to the ‘Florida Gators.’ James was chosen to the ‘All-Pac-10’ first team as well as the conference’s all-freshman team.
The ‘National Association of Basketball Coaches’ (NABC) and the ‘United States Basketball Writers Association’ both named him to their first-team ‘All-District’ teams (USBWA). During his sophomore year, he also set a career high with 40 points in an 88–58 win over ‘UTEP.’
He was also named to the ‘Wooden Award’ pre-season watch list and appeared on the cover of the ‘Sports Illustrated’ college basketball issue. He was awarded to the ‘All-Pacific-10 Tournament Team’ and the ‘Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year’ in 2009.
After the season, he was named a consensus ‘All-American’ and was considered for the 2009 ‘NBA Draft.’
Career
During the 2009–2010 season, the ‘Oklahoma City Thunder’ selected Harden third overall in the ‘NBA Draft.’ Harden became the fourth-highest 3-point percentage-scorer for the ‘NBA’ among players under the age of 21.
He was chosen to the ‘NBA-All-Rookie’ second team after scoring a season-high 26 points against the ‘Golden State Warriors’ in 2009. By 2011–2012, he had established himself as an essential member of the squad, scoring 40 points against the ‘Phoenix Suns,’ making him the first ‘NBA’ reserve player to do it since Rodrigue Beaubois.
He was also named NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He was a key part of the Thunder’s run to the ‘NBA Finals,’ when they were beaten by the ‘Miami Heat.’
Harden signed a $80 million contract extension with the ‘Houston Rockets’ in 2012, after the ‘Thunder’ and Harden were unable to reach an agreement. He put up impressive numbers this season, averaging 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.
His numbers made him the fifth player in ‘NBA’ history to score 2,000 points in a single season. He joined Gilbert Arenas, Kobe Bryant, and Jerry Stackhouse as the fourth player in NBA history to make at least 600 free throws and shoot at least 150 3-pointers in a same season.
He was also chosen to the ‘All-NBA Third Team’ in 2012–2013, marking his first ‘All-NBA Team’ selection in his career. He was selected as a reserve for the 2014 ‘NBA All-Star Game’ during the 2013–2014 season.
During the season, he was named ‘Western Conference Player of the Week’ twice and had a season-high 43 points against the ‘Sacramento Kings.’ At the end of the season, he was named to the ‘All-NBA First Team.’
Harden was a strong contender for the ‘MVP’ award early in the 2014–2015 season, scoring a career-high 50 points against the ‘Denver Nuggets,’ followed by 51 points against the ‘Sacramento Kings,’ becoming the first ‘NBA’ player to have two 50-point games in the same season. He was chosen to the ‘All-NBA First Team’ for the second year in a row after several triple-double performances.
He also helped his side win their first division title since 1994 and earn a spot in the ‘Western Conference’ as the second seed. He began playing point guard in 2016 and was named the ‘Western Conference Player of the Week’ for the third time that year. Harden became the first player in ‘NBA’ history to have multiple 50-point triple-doubles in a season after scoring his 14th triple-double of the season against the ‘Philadelphia 76ers.’ In a game against the ‘Phoenix Suns,’ he became the first ‘Rockets’ player to score 40 points in less than 30 minutes.
He became the first ‘NBA’ player to finish a season with at least 2,000 points (2,356), including 900 assists (907) and 600 rebounds, with 22 triple-doubles (659). He signed a four-year extension contract in 2017, giving him a six-year agreement for $228 million. This was the most lucrative deal in the history of the ‘NBA.’
The agreement will be in place until the 2022–2023 season. He came into the season with a 22.1 point and 5.7 assist per game average.
In a win over the ‘Utah Jazz,’ he set a career best with 56 points, one point short of Calvin Murphy’s 57-point mark from 1978. For the fifth time, he was named Western Conference Player of the Month after scoring 20 points in each of the team’s first 20 games of the season.
Despite his 50 points, the ‘Los Angeles Lakers’ halted his team’s 14-game winning streak with a 122–116 loss. However, in a game against the ‘Los Angeles Clippers,’ Harden became the first player in team history to score 50 points in consecutive games.
He was sidelined for seven games due to a hamstring injury. The ‘Rockets’ won 60 games and finished first for the first time in franchise history, with a record of 65–17.
Harden was also a member of the national squad that won the gold medal at the 2012 ‘Olympics.’ He was also a member of the 2014 ‘FIBA Basketball World Cup’ winning national squad.
Before the 2016 ‘Olympics,’ he withdrew his name from the team.
Achievements & Awards
James has been named to the NBA All-Star team six times and the All-NBA Team five times. Four times he was chosen to the ‘NBA First Team.’ In 2018, he was voted the ‘NBA MVP.’ For the 2014–2015 and 2017–2018 seasons, he was also named the ‘MVP’ of the National Basketball Players Association.
Personal History and Legacy
In the summer of 2015, James made headlines for his connection with Khloé Kardashian. Because of his obvious discomfort with the public attention, the couple broke up the following year.
He was previously linked to rapper Trina and ‘Instagram’ model Jessyka Janshel, according to reports.
He secured a $200 million endorsement agreement with ‘Adidas’ in 2015 for the following 13 years. His signature beard has its own social media following.
He is also a humanitarian who founded ‘3 The Harden Way Inc.’ to help young people get better prospects. In 2017, he made a $1 million donation to Hurricane Harvey victims.
Estimated Net Worth
James Harden estimated Net Worth is about $165 Million.