James Harden is a momma’s boy and he isn’t ashamed to show his love for his mother. Back in 2018, Harden sat down with GQ to talk about basketball and life, as a part of his GQ cover photoshoot. During the interview, Harden was very vocal about his love for and gratitude toward his mother.
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The 2018 MVP would also go on to reveal that NBA moms often have meetings, and are even quite close to each other. Elaborating on the topic, Harden said “My mom—she hangs out with, like, moms of other players that I don’t even talk to…”
“There are mom meetings, things like that,” he added. “No, I’m serious. Mom meetings. That makes me happy, ’cause they get to talk about their sons behind our backs. She deserves that.”
Harden seemed pleased that his mother has found a community within the NBA. His mom, Monja Willis, forms a formidable squad with Draymond Green’s mom, Mary Babers-Green, and Kevin Durant’s “real MVP” mom, Wanda Durant.
One of Harden’s greatest drives to succeed was always his mother. With his father out of the picture for most of his life, it was all on Monja to make it happen. Harden grew up with three other siblings and has always talked about how growing up in Compton, he always wanted more for his family.
Monja is vocal with haters
NBA moms are people that you don’t want to mess with. Superstars such as Kevin Durant, Shaquille O’Neal, Stephen Curry and James Harden have all attributed a big part of their success to the tough yet loving upbringing their mothers provided.
But NBA moms aren’t just hard on their sons, but also on fans. Monja Willis is no different, as she is known to openly call out her son’s haters. Talking to Bleacher Report, Monja once said, “I just turn around and say: ‘Listen, don’t talk about my son. He’s working hard out there. You don’t want anybody talking about your son or your daughter, so you treat my son with that same respect. And besides that, you’ve never played basketball, so you don’t know what it takes to be out there on that court.”
But unlike Harden who receives media training, Willis isn’t as aware of the perils of social media. Harden has reportedly even told his mom to stay off social media platforms. But just like any mother, Monja refuses to listen to the advice, as she believes that protecting her child is her duty.
With the Clippers currently struggling to maintain a playoff berth, a lot of the blame has fallen on Harden. The Beard, who is used to the stress and the pressure of leading a team, is hopeful that the team can turn it around in time, to make a run for the title.
