For years, James Harden has been an NBA star. But he is one piece short of a legendary career, having never won an NBA crown. If the Cavs don’t do it this June, Harden may never get another opportunity to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
James Harden has averaged 24 PPG and 35 MPG on 44-36-86 splits over his 16-year NBA career. He received MVP votes for nine straight seasons, from 2012-2013 through 2020-2021, placing 2nd three times, in 2014-2015, 2016-2017, and 2018-2019, and winning it in 2017-2018. Before that, he was named Sixth Man of the Year in 2011-2012.
There’s more. Harden has made 11 All-Star teams (10 straight) from 2013 to 2022, with his most recent selection in the 2024-2025 season being at age 35. He has been named to six All-NBA 1st teams, including four straight from 2016-2017 through 2019-2020, and was selected by a panel of experts to the NBA 75th-Anniversary team, which honored the 76 best NBA players ever. To top it off, Harden won Gold with Team USA at the 2012 London Olympics, where he averaged six PPG and 10 MPG.
Photo courtesy The Oklahoman
Harden was one of those college players who made a smooth transition to The Bigs. After two seasons at Arizona State University, where he averaged 19 PPG and 35 MPG, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Harden in the 2009 NBA Draft with the third overall pick. The intent was to help Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant off the bench, and Harden went on to average 13 PPG on 27 MPG with 44-37-84 splits (FG%, 3-point %, and FT %) during his time with the Thunder.
Then Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he had his best seasons, averaging 30 PPG and 37 MPG on 44-36-86 splits over nine seasons. He won the NBA scoring title three seasons in a row, averaging 30 in 2017-2018, 36 in 2018-2019, and 34 in 2019-2020.
While “greatness” and “stardom” apply to James Harden because of his NBA body of work, he has never brought home the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy–even though he has had opportunities. With Westbrook and Durant, Harden reached the NBA Finals in the 2011-2012 season, averaging 12 PPG and 33 MPG on 38-32-79 splits. But the Thunder lost in five games to the powerhouse Miami Heat, which included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Harden also made a playoff push in 2018 with Chris Paul and the Rockets. History was made, but not the kind Harden wanted. The Rockets missed an NBA record 27 threes in a row in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals and lost to another powerhouse club, the Golden State Warriors, with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Harden averaged 29 in that series.
Harden has not made it past the second round since that season, even though the odds were in his favor. How so? He was on the 2021-22 Brooklyn Nets, featuring Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and he also played with the 2022-23 Philadelphia 76ers, featuring Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Photo courtesy Yahoo! Sports
Now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, will the third time be the charm? Again playing alongside an NBA star (Donovan Mitchell in this case), the Eastern Conference 4-seed demolished the 1-seed Pistons in Detroit in Games 5 and 7, and his Cavs will now match up with the 3-seed New York Knicks with the Eastern Conference crown at stake and the NBA championship round to follow. And like he always seems to do, Harden has put up numbers: 21 PPG and 38 MPG on 42-35-86 splits in the playoffs to date.
But if Harden doesn’t win the NBA crown soon, he’ll likely (because of age) end his career without a ring. If that happens, you know what many pundits and fans will say: “Harden never won the big one.” And even with all the accolades, his legacy will be that he fell “one piece short.”
