“I Changed the Game of Basketball”: 6ft 5″ James Harden Boldly Claims That He Only Needs a ‘Championship’

The Philadelphia 76ers are blessed with an incredible starting lineup. James Harden, who transferred to Philadelphia last season from Brooklyn, has made the starters a force to be reckoned with. Though their team currently stands 5th in the Eastern Conference, much of the reason goes to Harden’s absence due to injury.

Of the games he missed, the Sixers lost 6 games. Since his return, they have lost only one game and are on a 3-game winning streak. Maybe it’s this win streak that pushed Harden to make the bold claims in an interview with Fox Sports.

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James Harden claims he changed the game of Basketball

While speaking to Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports, Harden claimed that he had changed the game of basketball. He went on to say that the only thing missing from his career was a championship.

Well, it’s true that Harden is yet to win a championship, so that’s something he is already missing. But, that being said, it’s hard to believe he has won everything else in the game of basketball.

Once a formidable offensive force, the last few years have witnessed the downfall of the only shooter capable of going toe-to-toe with Stephen Curry. But that’s not the case anymore. The 6ft 5″ guard, undoubtedly, has lost much of his charm. But, for the sake of argument, let’s take his words at their face value and evaluate what all he has accomplished.

James Harden is a 3-time Scoring champion and won his last scoring title in 2020, right before the pandemic. He also has an MVP, won a Sixth man of the Year award, and an Assist title. So, Harden isn’t far-fetched in his claim.

Though, there is one glaring issue with his argument. He doesn’t take into account his lack of experience in the NBA Finals. He doesn’t have a Finals MVP and has only once won a Conference Title in 2012. In that series against Miami, Harden was hardly a leading man. He played in the shadow of young Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

Harden has changed the game

To be fair to Harden, despite his lack of NBA Finals experience and his undeniable downfall, he did change the league. NBA turned the step-back three into a whole different weapon. The shot was viewed differently before him, where players like Reggie Miller were the best at it.

But Harden used it so creatively that the new breed of players are all, in their own way, following his footsteps. Harden also changed the free throw game. He truly weaponized it in the context of the modern game. So, at least half of his argument stands true.

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