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James Harden (basketball)
Encyclopedia
James Edward Harden, Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American
professional basketball
player for the Oklahoma City Thunder
of the National Basketball Association
(NBA). A shooting guard
, Harden played collegiate basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected 3rd overall by the Thunder in the 2009 NBA Draft
. He was born in Los Angeles
, California
.
. In his sophomore year, he averaged 13.2 points as Artesia went 28–5. He improved his stats to 18.8 points, 7.7 boards and 3.5 assists in his junior season and led Artesia to the California state title and a 33–1 record. Artesia won the state title in Harden's final year too by going 33–2. Harden had similar stats as during the previous season: 18.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He was named a Parade
and McDonald's All-American.
He also helped his AAU
team, Pump-N-Run Elite, to the 2006 Las Vegas Adidas Super 64 championship. Harden had 34 points in the victory over a DC Assault team which included Michael Beasley
, Nolan Smith
and Austin Freeman
. In the game against Houston Hoops, played on the same day, Harden had 33 points.
In the final, Pump-N-Run Elite beat Kevin Love
's Southern California All-Stars.
. Left out of the NCAA tournament, they were selected to the 2008 NIT
field and defeated Alabama State and Southern Illinois
before falling to defending national champion Florida
.
After his freshman year, Harden was named first team all-Pac-10 and was named to the conference all-freshman team. Harden was also named first team All-District by the NABC
and the USBWA
.
Entering his sophomore year, Harden appeared on many pre-season All-American lists and appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated
college basketball preview issue. He was named to the Wooden Award preseason watch list. On November 30, 2008, Harden scored a career-high 40 points in an 88–58 victory over UTEP
. On the Tempe campus, a popular t-shirt emerged for his fans. It read, "Die Harden Fan".
Harden was named to the 2009 All-Pac 10 Tournament Team following Arizona State's defeat by USC at the Staples Center
.
Following the conference season
, Harden was named the Pacific-10 Conference's Player of the Year
. He was also named a consensus All-American
. After the conclusion of the season (a second-round NCAA tournament
loss to Syracuse
), Harden declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft
. He employed Rob Pelinka
as his agent.
by the Oklahoma City Thunder
. This made him the first player to be drafted by the franchise as the Oklahoma City Thunder. The franchise last entered the 2008 NBA Draft
as the Seattle SuperSonics
.
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Oklahoma City
| 76 || 0 || 22.9 || .403 || .375 || .808 || 3.2 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 9.9
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Oklahoma City
|82 || 5 || 26.7 || .436 || .349 || .843 || 3.1 || 2.1 || 1.1 || .3 || 12.2
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 158 || 5 || 24.9 || .421 || .360 || .828 || 3.2 || 2.0 || 1.1 || .3 || 11.1
| align="left" | 2010
| align="left" | Oklahoma City
| 6 || 0 || 20.0 || .387 || .375 || .842 || 2.5 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 7.7
|-
| align="left" | 2011
| align="left" | Oklahoma City
| 17 || 0 || 31.6 || .475 || .303 || .825 || 5.4 || 3.6 || 1.2 || .8 || 13.0
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 23 || 0 || 28.5 || .459 || .315 || .828 || 4.6 || 3.1 || 1.2 || .6 || 11.6
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). A shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
, Harden played collegiate basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected 3rd overall by the Thunder in the 2009 NBA Draft
2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
. He was born in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
High school
Harden attended Artesia High School in Lakewood, CaliforniaLakewood, California
Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 80,048 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west and south, Bellflower on the north, Cerritos on the northeast, Cypress on the east, and Hawaiian Gardens on the southeast. Major thoroughfares...
. In his sophomore year, he averaged 13.2 points as Artesia went 28–5. He improved his stats to 18.8 points, 7.7 boards and 3.5 assists in his junior season and led Artesia to the California state title and a 33–1 record. Artesia won the state title in Harden's final year too by going 33–2. Harden had similar stats as during the previous season: 18.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He was named a Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
and McDonald's All-American.
He also helped his AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
team, Pump-N-Run Elite, to the 2006 Las Vegas Adidas Super 64 championship. Harden had 34 points in the victory over a DC Assault team which included Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley
Michael Paul Beasley, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association . He plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed, though he is also ambidextrous...
, Nolan Smith
Nolan Smith
Nolan Derek Smith is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, having been selected with the 21st pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after four years at Duke University. As a senior, he was named a first team AP All-American and the ACC Player of the Year...
and Austin Freeman
Austin Freeman
Austin Freeman is an American professional basketball player. He is a former college basketball guard with the Georgetown University Hoyas men's basketball team.-Career:...
. In the game against Houston Hoops, played on the same day, Harden had 33 points.
In the final, Pump-N-Run Elite beat Kevin Love
Kevin Love
Kevin Love, born in Des Moines, Iowa, is a former NASCAR driver. He ran five races in the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series season, all for Fiddleback Racing....
's Southern California All-Stars.
College career
Arizona State was picked to finish 9th in the Pac-10 Conference. Due to the help of Harden's average of 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists, the Sun Devils went 21–13 (9–9) and finished tied for 5th in the Pac-10. They were considered a bubble team for the 2008 NCAA Tournament2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
. Left out of the NCAA tournament, they were selected to the 2008 NIT
2008 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals and Final:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 1 and 3* - Overtime game.-External links:*...
field and defeated Alabama State and Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball
The Southern Illinois Salukis basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Salukis are currently coached by Chris Lowery who led the team to the NCAA tournament in 2004 thru 2007. Lowery was...
before falling to defending national champion Florida
2007-08 Florida Gators men's basketball team
The 2007–08 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 2007–08 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern...
.
After his freshman year, Harden was named first team all-Pac-10 and was named to the conference all-freshman team. Harden was also named first team All-District by the NABC
National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...
and the USBWA
United States Basketball Writers Association
The United States Basketball Writers Association was founded in 1956 by Walter Byers and serves the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.-Scholarships:...
.
Entering his sophomore year, Harden appeared on many pre-season All-American lists and appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
college basketball preview issue. He was named to the Wooden Award preseason watch list. On November 30, 2008, Harden scored a career-high 40 points in an 88–58 victory over UTEP
UTEP Miners men's basketball
The UTEP Miners basketball team is an NCAA Division I men's college basketball team competing in the Conference USA. Home games are played at Don Haskins Center, located on University of Texas at El Paso's campus in El Paso.-Don Haskins Center:...
. On the Tempe campus, a popular t-shirt emerged for his fans. It read, "Die Harden Fan".
Harden was named to the 2009 All-Pac 10 Tournament Team following Arizona State's defeat by USC at the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
.
Following the conference season
2008–09 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball season
The 2008–09 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball season ended with six teams participating in the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and two teams playing in the College Basketball Invitational ....
, Harden was named the Pacific-10 Conference's Player of the Year
Pac-10 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
The Pacific-12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the Pacific-12 Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1975–76 season. There have been two players honored multiple times: David Greenwood of UCLA and Sean Elliott of...
. He was also named a consensus All-American
2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
. After the conclusion of the season (a second-round NCAA tournament
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
loss to Syracuse
2008-09 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team represented Syracuse University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Head Coach is Jim Boeheim, serving for his 33rd year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York...
), Harden declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
. He employed Rob Pelinka
Rob Pelinka
Robert Todd Pelinka, Jr. is an American lawyer, National Basketball Association sports agent and former college basketball player from Lake Bluff, Illinois . He is best known as Kobe Bryant's agent and President and CEO of The Landmark Sports Agency, LLC...
as his agent.
College statistics
| Season | Team | G | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | 3P% | FT% | MIN | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 2007-08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 5, 2007 ended with the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 7, 2008 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.-Season headlines:... |
Arizona State Sun Devils | 34 | 17.8 | 5.3 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 0.6 | .527 | .407 | .754 | 34.1 | 2.6 |
| 2008–09 | Arizona State Sun Devils | 35 | 20.1 | 5.6 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 0.3 | .489 | .356 | .756 | 35.8 | 3.4 |
| Totals: | 69 | 19.0 | 5.4 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 0.4 | .506 | .376 | .755 | 35.0 | 3.0 | |
NBA career
Harden was drafted 3rd overall in the 2009 NBA Draft2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
by the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
. This made him the first player to be drafted by the franchise as the Oklahoma City Thunder. The franchise last entered the 2008 NBA Draft
2008 NBA Draft
The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...
as the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
| 76 || 0 || 22.9 || .403 || .375 || .808 || 3.2 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 9.9
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left" | Oklahoma City
|82 || 5 || 26.7 || .436 || .349 || .843 || 3.1 || 2.1 || 1.1 || .3 || 12.2
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 158 || 5 || 24.9 || .421 || .360 || .828 || 3.2 || 2.0 || 1.1 || .3 || 11.1
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2010
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
| 6 || 0 || 20.0 || .387 || .375 || .842 || 2.5 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 7.7
|-
| align="left" | 2011
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| align="left" | Oklahoma City
| 17 || 0 || 31.6 || .475 || .303 || .825 || 5.4 || 3.6 || 1.2 || .8 || 13.0
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 23 || 0 || 28.5 || .459 || .315 || .828 || 4.6 || 3.1 || 1.2 || .6 || 11.6