JAMES HARDEN IS TELLING ME NOT TO JUDGE HIM. You know the guy I mean, the 7x All-NBA select, 10x NBA All-Star 10 years in a row, 3x scoring champ, 2018 league MVP, Olympic gold medalist… that James Harden. Me? Judge him? As if. But there is a reason behind his request, and it involves his current fixation/hobby.
Simply put, the man spends a lot of time (is there a thing called too much?) playing video games. Specifically, “Call of Duty.”
“I was the guy that was like, ‘Why are people obsessed with “Call of Duty”? They’re on it a crazy amount.’ And now I’m that guy. I have a little setup upstairs in my house where I can be gaming a few hours a day and won’t hear anybody, won’t see anybody, won’t care about anybody. It’s sad. Like, I do love it, it’s fun for me, it’s exciting. I really do enjoy playing “Call of Duty,” tuning everybody out, and just being in my own little world.” He pauses, and sighs. “So yeah, that’s the story of my life. Don’t judge me.”
Personally, I wouldn’t. Whatever floats your boat, tickles your pickle, rocks your socks, and so forth. Because — at the very least — the 32-year-old shooting guard, who’s currently on the Philadelphia 76ers roster, has been a force to reckon with for 13 years in a league where the shelf life of its players, on average, is 4.5 years.
As is his beard, by the way. I’m so in awe of it, in fact, that I completely forget to compliment him on its growth, and only in the aftermath of our June Zoom video chat do I remember wanting to remark on the bountiful, bushy, glorious facial hair that now defines him — which he was too lazy to shave off in 2009, and which has since grown to Dumbledore lengths ever since. His beard, for those who don’t know, is also a pop culture reference that has appeared in songs and on T-shirts, and even had its own Trolli gummy. Top that if you can.
But that’s Harden: Everything he does on court and off, beard included, is done in a big way, with a singular kind of dedication. Which is why he’s not only an incredible athlete, but also a strong, successful businessman.
On the court, his achievements are many. He’s often referred to as the best shooting guard in the NBA, with reason: In addition to a legion of accolades, he was the 2012 Sixth Man of the Year, 2x NBA minutes leader, NBA assist leader, 3x NBA scoring leader, and 3x NBA three-point field goals leader. He’s in the top three of three-point leaders, is the youngest player to reach 1,000 career three-pointers made, and the only player in NBA history to record a 40-point triple-double while playing less than 30 minutes. He’s also a two-time member of the United States national team, winning gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIBA World Cup. Last October, he was honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all time, named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. And those are just a few of his greatest hits.
