There is a time and place for comparisons and when you see the big picture, it might even be accurate to a certain degree. For Michael Jordan, it is inevitable he draws comparisons to every great player to grace the basketball court. And one of his draft classmates, Hakeem Olajuwon even drew parallels with James Harden.
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Of course, there is a bit of a bias when it comes to acknowledging the fact that James Harden is as good a scorer as Michael Jordan. And while for a certain purple patch period it might have been true. Direct comparisons might still be very far away. But for one period it was true.
In the 2019-20 NBA season, James Harden was the scoring champ. He also put up a monstrous 36 points per game! Only the second time it has ever been done in the 21st century. And that was enough for Hakeem.
Hakeem Olajuwon, a real estate mogul, compares James Harden to Michael Jordan
Hakeem Olajuwon, the player who was picked no.1 in the 1984 NBA Draft, ahead of Michael Jordan, was among the greatest to play the game. And as a Rockets legend, his goal was to back James Harden.
The Beard, who was playing out of his mind for 2 years, was on the verge of winning the scoring title for a third straight year, and for The Dream, that was enough. Enough to compare him to the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
Here is what he said,
“There’s no question about that. It’s very, very difficult to carry a team from that position, and he’s proven that comfortably, reaching new heights. Look at all his statistics. You’re talking about a player at the level of Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain. He’s something unbelievable in this era. There’s no question about James’ ability as a champion. It’s just a matter of time.”
Clearly, Hakeem, who is also a real estate mogul with a portfolio worth well north of $300 million, feels strongly about Harden being at MJ’s level. In terms of scoring yes. In terms of career maybe not so much.
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2019-20, Harden robbed, or is scoring overrated?
Even after scoring 36 points per game, Harden did not win the MVP. Giannis Antetokounmpo instead scooped up the honors. And that put a big shadow over James’ legacy.
Hakeem talked about how Harden had time to win a championship and that season, with Russell Westbrook was perhaps the moment. He said,
“James is such a complete player. He’s a winner. I think, with [Russell] Westbrook… [Harden] needs some reinforcements when he’s going deep in the playoffs. When the battle gets tough, he just needs that reinforcement to recharge. I think Westbrook has brought that to this team.”
Alas, it was not to be. They finished 4th in the west and eventually bowed out in the Western Conference Semifinals to eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The tandem between James Harden and Michael Jordan might have been only in terms of their scoring prowess. And that is about it. MJ’s legacy is leagues ahead.
