Despite being an elite scorer in the NBA, James Harden earned notoriety for his off-court activities during his time with the Houston Rockets. Media reports and personal anecdotes have often suggested that the Beard frequently parties in Las Vegas and other destinations during breaks from game days. However, Harden’s former Houston Rockets teammate Trevor Ariza counters this claim, calling Harden a much more professional athlete.
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In a recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, Ariza claimed Harden to be one of the hardest-working professionals during his time in Houston. The 2018 league MVP apparently sticks to his pre-game and post-game schedules despite allegations of him being unruly gaining traction on the Internet.
Speaking on that note, Ariza explained, “I guess what people don’t know is James will work his a** off. Like after practice, he’s running sprints. Before practice, he’s shooting, he’s getting his treatments, he’s lifting weights after games.”
“What he does in his personal life is his personal business, that’s up to him. Like, nobody should give a f**k about that,” the 38-year-old added.
From Ariza’s statements, we can get a greater insight into James Harden as a teammate. The 2009 NBA Champion was a part of the Houston Rockets from 2014 to 2018. These statements prove that Harden tries his best to stay at the top of his game despite allegations suggesting the opposite.
Ariza further elaborated on how Chris Paul and James Harden’s differences in approach often brought in a broader perspective for the Rockets back in the day. All in all, from Ariza’s experience, perhaps fans can now pose some questions against the prevalent media narrative against Harden.
James Harden has a history of not gelling well with his team’s front office
Despite Ariza’s praises, rumors suggest that James Harden has often not been able to gel well with his team’s coaching staff. There are reports suggesting that the Beard often goes off to do his own things, like partying in Las Vegas on his off days, which tends to upset both the team’s front offices and the fans as well.
Most of the rumors surrounding his unprofessional behavior stems from his time at Houston when he had demanded a trade from the team. The controversy had reached its height when the Rockets denied Harden’s request and the Beard showed up overweight to training camp supposedly in retaliation.
Harden has been nothing less than a ‘diva’ with his current antics in the league. Since Houston, Harden has forced his way out of two more teams in a similar manner, including the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now that the 2018 MVP has joined the Clippers, it still seems uncertain as to how Harden is going to fit into the team’s system, given the team’s poor showing in the last few games.
