James Harden

The Beard: A scoring legend and one of the NBA's 75 greatest players.

James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest shooting guards and scorers in NBA history. In 2021, Harden was honored as one of the league's top 75 players by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Harden is also a two-time member of the United States national team, winning gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIBA World Cup. Harden is nicknamed "the Beard" after his characteristic facial hair.

Quick Facts

Position: Point guard; shooting guard
Team: Free agent
Born: 26 August 1989
Birthplace: Compton, California, U.S.
High school: Artesia (Lakewood, California)
College: Arizona State (2007–2009)
Draft round: 1
Draft pick: 3

Lore & Background

Harden played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils, where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden was selected with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2012, he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year and helped Oklahoma City reach the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat in five games. After the Thunder refused to offer him a max contract extension, Harden was unwilling to take a pay cut and was subsequently traded to the Houston Rockets before the 2012–13 season.

In his first season with the Rockets, Harden set or matched several team records and was named to his first All-NBA Team (a third-team selection), as well as his first NBA All-Star team. Over the next seven full seasons with Houston, Harden led the league in scoring three times and assists once, and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in while leading the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals. He was also named to seven consecutive NBA All-Star teams and earned All-NBA First Team honors six times.

After requesting a trade at the beginning of the 2020–21 season, Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a four-team trade. With Brooklyn, he was named to his ninth and tenth consecutive All-Star games before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers at the 2022 trade deadline. In 2023, Harden led the league in assists for the second time in his career. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers at the start of the 2023–24 season and was named to his 11th All-Star Game in 2025. In 2026, after two-and-half seasons with LA, he was traded to Cleveland at the trade deadline.

Reader's Guide

James Harden was born on August 26, 1989, in Compton, California. He attended Artesia High School in Lakewood, California, where he led his team to two California state titles and was named a McDonald's All-American. He played college basketball at Arizona State University, where he was named Pac-10 Player of the Year and a consensus All-American in 2009. He was selected third overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2012 and helped the Thunder reach the NBA Finals. He was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012, where he became a perennial All-Star and won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, then to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022, then to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2023, and finally to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2026.