James Harden has been the topic of endless conversation over the past week. Some have been very critical of the way he orchestrated his exit from the Houston Rockets, while others view it as no different than what countless other NBA stars have done.
Regardless of how one feels about Harden’s efforts to land with the Brooklyn Nets, he is there now – and expectations are high. Harden is without question one of the greatest shooting guards to ever play. It was obvious during his days as a sixth man for the Oklahoma City Thunder that he had immense promise, but when he transformed into the star of the Houston Rockets his talent became undeniable.
Not long ago, ESPN did an in-depth look into Harden’s childhood and early career. There were a number of fun and humorous anecdotes presented, but none more so than when his mother explained just how much Harden prioritized basketball over everything else as a kid.
“He got in trouble one time in junior high, he threw a basketball at a girl,” Harden’s mom revealed. “He wasn’t into dating, just wanted to play basketball. I think she was trying to flirt with him, so he threw the basketball at her.”
Fortunately, since growing up Harden has grown out of his throw-a-ball-at-girls phase.
Yikes. It’s a wrap for Jackie MacMullan.https://t.co/lIFTuBiJtc
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 14, 2021
Over the years he has been linked to many notable starlets. The list includes Jessyka Janshel, Khloe Kardashian, Karrueche Tran and more – so clearly he welcomes the attention now. That said, the idea of him ever doing it is absolutely hilarious.
Personal anecdotes aside, it will definitely be interesting to see how Harden fits alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. The latter has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t particularly care about the Harden trade one way or the other, and that he will continue to sit out as long as he feels like it.
How will that ultimately impact the start of Harden’s career with the Nets? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
