James Harden
James Harden
James Edward Harden, Jr.is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. Harden played college basketball for Arizona State, where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden was selected with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2012, he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the Thunder and helped the team reach the NBA Finals...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth26 August 1989
CityLos Angeles, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I've never had much notoriety. It's fine with me.
Growing up, I wish that I'd had the supplies and laptops and all the new technology that's out right now.
Growing up in college, in high school, I was the focal point.
I have a collection of 50-plus snapback hats.
I have an iPhone, too, but I use the Blackberry more because I'm addicted to BBM'ing. I'm also on Twitter 24/7 and it's a lot easier on the BlackBerry.
There are a lot of guys who play in the NBA. There aren't a lot of guys who have a chance to win a gold medal, too.
I took a back seat and did whatever it took for the team to win.
Now, I'm back to my old ways: Needing to be the leader, needing to score.
During summer or charity games I'll wear my bright orange or green or turquoise ones and guys are always like, 'Why are your shoes so bright?'
Some guys travel with expensive Louis Vuitton luggage but it gets all scratched up under the plane. I'd rather not spend too much money on something that's just going to get messed up.
That excitement on the court, I'm the same way off the court. I like to have fun, meet people; I like to give high-fives to the kids courtside. Just have fun. That's kind of my personality, that's how I've been.
I heard a lot of those things. I heard that I was greedy; that I didn't care about winning; heard the questioning of my loyalty. And I'm thinking: 'Of course I want to win. I've been winning my entire life.'
I'm not the fastest guy or the quickest guy.
Being named as a finalist for the USA Basketball National Team is an unbelievable feeling and an opportunity that is truly humbling. It is an honor to be included with such talented players and I look forward to the chance to represent my country this summer.