“Wanted My Pic With the President”: James Harden Suggests Barack Obama’s Presence Influenced 50-Point Performance

The Clippers finally broke out of their 3-game losing skid with an excellent win over the resurgent Detroit Pistons. Credit for the win goes to James Harden, as he turned back the clock with a vintage 50-point outing in the 123-115 victory at the Intuit Dome.

Harden scored 50 points in just 38 minutes on 73% shooting from the field and 46% shooting from beyond the arc. His first-quarter explosion set up his tone for the game, as he boasted an incredible 23 points in the first period, just 3 less than the entire Pistons team managed.

Harden, however, has credited his massive outing to a familiar face in the crowd. Former U.S. President Barack Obama was spotted courtside in Inglewood, and Harden claimed, “It was pretty cool,” to see him sitting there.

Being a basketball fan himself, Obama must’ve loved the show The Beard put on, and Harden certainly made it a point to give the former president a memorable evening.

While speaking to reporter Joey Linn post-game, Harden talked about the “pretty cool relationship” he and Obama have and said was hoping to snag a photo op after the game. He also attributed his performance to trying to impress the former president.

“I wanted my pic with Presi after the game. He left. I guess he wanted to beat traffic,” he said dejectedly. “We got a pretty cool relationship. We’ve met a few times. It’s pretty cool to see him at the game. Probably the reason why I played so well.”

Their pre-existing relationship, of course, comes from social events and the White House visit that the 2012 Olympic contingent made after the conclusion of the games.

James Harden was famously part of the basketball team that took gold at the London Olympics, where he averaged 6.4 points over 5 games.