In the spring of 2022, Nets star James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons. Now obviously, with Joel Embiid on the 76ers, Harden had to make a sacrifice after the trade.
He no longer could be the guy who averaged 36 points a game as a Houston Rocket back in the day. Now, he was set to be playing second fiddle to Joel Embiid.
This duo after 2 attempts, has yet to make it out of the second round.
On Wednesday morning, ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne dropped a bombshell revelation into Harden’s frustration with his situation.
Harden turns down all star gig?:
Harden for the first time in 10 seasons, wasn’t selected for the 2023 all-star game. However due to Kevin Durant’s injury, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was open to giving the extra spot to Harden.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver was prepared to name him as an injury replacement, sources said. Harden just had to give assurances that he would show up and play in the game.
Days went by without Harden’s answer. He was pouting.
By the time Harden sent word that he would accept the invitation, Silver had moved on, naming Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as the replacement for an injured Durant.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN
Regardless of what you think about Harden as a player, this is one of the funniest things I have read all week.
For a moment, I sort of understood Harden’s struggles in the sense that he came from being the guy, to now playing second behind guys like Durant and Embiid.
However I lose all of the empathy I had for this situation, when I remember that Harden wants to be a Clipper.
In LA, not only would he be a clear second behind Kawhi, he might not even have more touches than a healthy Paul George either.
All in all, Harden just seems either confused about who he is as a player, or he’s just struggling to come to grips with reality. The harsh reality everybody will face in their lives.
The reality that, you can’t be number one forever, everybody has their time. It’s starting to look like it’s past his as a first option on a contender.
