Where is James Harden from?

When it comes to influential players in the NBA, we have a number of stars who leave their prints in NBA history. Many of them are known for their toughness on the court, while others are known for their efficient shooting. Some guards and even forwards made their name with exquisite ball handling and playmaking capabilities. When you combine all these attributes of the player, we will have a smaller group of elite players and James Harden is certainly one of those stars.

Playing at the guard position, James Harden controls the pace of the game, but with his playmaking abilities and sharpshooting. He is an unstoppable force at times. Entering his 15th season in the NBA, Harden is one of the very few players who never missed the postseason. He has been a very consistent performer for his teams and one of the top players earning a spot in the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team. Let us go through James Harden’s history, to know more about the superstar.

James Harden’s birthplace and early years

Known for his facial hairstyle, “the Beard” made his debut in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunders team as the 3rd overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. Born in Los Angeles California, Harden attended Artesia High School in Lakewood.

Falling in love with the game, Harden shined in basketball early in his career. In his sophomore year, he averaged 13.2 points and helped his team to a 28–5 record. Improvement in James’ game helped his team massively as they went on to win the State championship the very next season. Harden started with an average of 18.8 points, 7.7 boards, and 3.5 assists. With a similar performance in the next season, Harden put Artesia in a position to repeat the state championship. Winning McDonald's All-American honor, Harden earned a second-team Parade All-American selection.

Continuing his blistering form, James Harden played 2 seasons with Arizona State and won the Pac-10 Player of the Year award in 2009. Playing as a starter from his freshman years, Harden declared for the NBA draft, leaving college basketball with 19 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game average.

James Harden’s illustrious NBA career

After a successful high school and college career, James Harden entered the NBA as one of the top young talents. Shooter Harden took a bench role following Westbrook’s availability in the roster. He recorded 37.5% 3-point shooting. It was the fourth-highest percentage in NBA history for a player under the age of 21 with a minimum of 150 attempts in his rookie year.

Following the remarkable growth in the franchise Harden and the young Oklahoma team made it to the NBA finals in 2012. Harden already cemented his position as the best backup player, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award in that season.

Later he was traded to Houston Rockets, where Harden became the superstar he is now. Playing for 9 seasons as a starter in the franchise, Harden broke many records, winning three scoring titles, leading the league in assists, and the regular season MVP award in 2018. Harden became the face of the franchise, constantly putting them in the postseason during his stay with the Rockets.

But after missing out on NBA championships, Harden tried his best with super-teams like Brooklyn Nets and recently completed 1.5 years with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 2012 Olympics gold medalist would be a great free agent to nab if he decides against extending his stay in Philly. Recently, Harden was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers from the 76ers in a record deal.