James Harden is currently under contention to pay a $100,000 fine for publicly calling out and defaming Daryl Morey. The star Sixers guard’s relationship with Morey has dwindled significantly since he arrived in Philadelphia in 2022. However, before this relationship turned sour, Daryl Morey had once compared Harden to being a better scorer than the great Michael Jordan. More so, Morey even tried proving his point with facts and figures that were indeed legitimate. Following the dramatic fallout between their dynamic pair, Morey’s (in)famous take from 2019 has again started gaining traction on Reddit.
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Throughout Harden’s career, Daryl Morey has always supported the star point guard. Their relationship blossomed further when Morey was promoted to Rockets’ General Manager within a year of his stint at Houston. The relationship was expected to strengthen further upon their reunion in Philadelphia. However, expecting the unexpected, their relationship is now on the brink of perils.
Daryl Morey once compared James Harden to Michael Jordan
People in the NBA community try to tread carefully when speaking of any player and Michael Jordan in the same breath. The GOAT debate regarding LeBron James and MJ acquires polarizing opinions, some often redirected as criticism and negativity towards the current Lakers star. However, then-Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey was unafraid of comparing Harden with Jordan. In fact, Morey claimed Harden was a better scorer than His Airness.
No, Morey was not making such claims, just on his whims. The former Houston GM had “factual” claims to prove his statement. Speaking about this on the “Selfmade with Nadeshot” podcast, Morey said:
“It’s just factual that James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan. Based on literally, like you give James Harden the ball and before you’re giving up the ball how many points do you generate? Which is how you should measure offense. James Harden is by far No. 1 in NBA history.
“The counterargument is reasonable. They say if you put Michael Jordan on a team now he would do more than James Harden. That’s possible. But if you’re just saying: ‘NBA history, if you give this guy the ball, how much does his team score after you give him the ball before the other team gets the ball?’ It’s James Harden. And I know that makes people mad, but it’s literally a fact.”
Morey wasn’t wrong in what he had just claimed. As per stats, Harden had an advantage over Jordan in specific metrics. His effective FG percentage, including 3-pointers, stood at 52.5% for his career in 2019, while Jordan’s was at 50.9%. Furthermore, Harden also edged Jordan in actual shooting percentage, having 60.9% compared to Jordan’s 56.9%.
Indeed, James Harden is a player worth praise for his caliber, having won the 2017-18 season’s MVP and being a two-time scoring champion. Since the 2013-14 season, his points per game have only increased. In his MVP season, Harden averaged a cumulative 36.1 points per game.
James Harden has been fined $100,000 for his comments on Daryl Morey
James Harden and Daryl Morey’s relationship has soured further this off-season, as the Philadelphia 76ers are reluctant to adhere to the point guard’s trade request. Harden had accepted the Sixers’ $35,000,000 extension contract in hopes of getting traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. However, the Sixers do not seem to have any ambition to trade their star point guard in hopes of title contention next season.
James Harden seems to have no change in his stance and has publicly criticized his relationship with Daryl Morey while touring China. This attracted him a fine of $100,000, while another $389,000 fine awaits if Harden decides to sit out on games. Amid such a fiasco, Joel Embiid is also taking his chance to demand a trade as this saga persists.
