Who is James Harden?

James Harden has been one of the NBA's most talented offensive players over the last decade. The bearded shooting guard is known for his crafty style, superb ability to create his shot, and excellence at driving to the basket and drawing fouls.

After being selected #3 overall in the 2009 draft out of Arizona State, Harden first made his mark with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He, however, blossomed into a superstar after a 2012 trade to the Houston Rockets, developing creative moves like his signature step-back jump shot. With his scoring touch, he won MVP honors in 2018 and three scoring titles while with the Rockets, solidifying his status among the game's current greats.

James Harden's early life

James Harden was born on August 26, 1989, in Los Angeles, California, and spent most of his early life there. James Harden's parents are James Harden Sr. and Monja Willis. Since his father was in and out of prison throughout his childhood, Harden was mostly raised by his mother. He was the youngest of three children and there is a ten-year age gap between him and his next sibling. His elder brother is Akili Roberson, who has played college football. His elder sister, Arnique Jelks, is an interior designer.

Harden was nicknamed Lucky by his mother because Willis had multiple miscarriages before giving birth to him. Raising her children in Compton, Willis encouraged them to pursue sports to stay out of trouble.

The Beard developed a love for the game of basketball when he was very young and started playing the sport passionately. Soon, Harden became one of the most talented high school stars in the state. After graduating from Artesia High School, Lakewood in 2007, he received multiple college offers and committed to Arizona State University. Harden played two years of college basketball where he impressed many and declared for the NBA draft in 2009.

James Harden's wife and children

Harden has been in romantic relationships with many high-profile celebrities, like Amber Rose, Khloe Kardashian, Brittany Renner, and Ashanti, among others. Currently, the 2018 NBA MVP is rumored to be in a relationship with model Jessyka Jenshel.

James Harden's career timeline

James Harden started playing baseball after his mother Monja Willis encouraged her kids to pursue sports. A young James then turned to basketball and fell in love with the game. He soon developed impressive skills and always believed that he would one day play in the NBA. A few years later, he was a high school superstar and led his team to back-to-back state championships. Harden was also named a McDonald's All-American for his performances.

Harden's basketball coach Scott Pera was a huge reason behind the latter's success in high school. So Harden promised Pera that he would commit to whichever school he joined. After Pera joined Arizona State University as an assistant coach, Harden kept his promise and committed to the school. Harden's ascension continued in college where he caught the eyes of NBA teams. After two years, he declared for the NBA draft in 2009.

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Harden as the 3rd pick of the draft. The Thunder already had young stars like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in their ranks. So Harden had to earn his time and come off the bench. He did not start any game in his rookie season despite playing 76 games. Also, he started only 7 games in his three-year stint with the Thunder. In his third year, Harden won the Sixth-Man of the Year award averaging 16.8 points per game. However, his time at OKC came to an end after the Thunder lost the 2011-12 NBA Finals.

OKC could have had one of the best trios ever. But they were reluctant to give Harden a Max deal, and he was not ready to accept anything less. So the Thunder traded Harden to the Houston Rockets, which allowed him to showcase his full potential. In his first season with the Rockets, Harden erupted for 25.9 points per game, which was a massive jump from the previous year. He also made the All-Star Team for the first time in his career in the same season. Harden continued his offensive dominance and was unstoppable at times. In 2018, he was the scoring champion and also clinched the NBA MVP award. He won the scoring title in the next two seasons as well. However, he could not lead the Rockets to the NBA Finals.

After spending nine seasons with the Rockets, Harden played for the Brooklyn Nets for less than two years. He then joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021 and has been an integral part of the team since then. Even though he is not his MVP self anymore, Harden is still a great playmaker who has averaged over 10 assists per game in the last five seasons. He was also the assists leader for the 2022-23 season.

Following the 2022–23 season, Harden picked up his $35.6 million option to remain with the 76ers but eventually requested a trade, joining the Los Angeles Clippers in October 2023. With the Clippers, Harden surpassed NBA icon Jerry West for the 23rd place on the league's all-time scoring list.

James Harden's net worth 2024

NBA superstar James Harden is one of the highest-paid players in the league. In 2022, Forbes ranked him #12 on the world's highest-paid athletes list, after he earned over $74 million that year. According to various reports, Harden has an estimated net worth of $165 million. His salary for the 2022-23 season playing for the Philadelphia 76ers is reportedly $33 million. In his 14 seasons in the league, Harden has earned over $300 million in NBA salaries. The crafty guard has also amassed tens of millions in endorsements, partnerships, and investments.

James Harden's career stats

Regular season stats:

• Games played - 1035


• Points per game - 24.4


• Assists per game - 7.1


• Rebounds per game - 5.6

Playoffs stats:

• Games played - 160


• Points per game - 22.7


• Assists per game - 6.3


• Rebounds per game - 5.5

James Harden's partnerships and endorsements

James Harden reportedly signed a 13-year $200 million deal with Adidas in 2015 after leaving Nike. It is the second largest Adidas deal in sports history, only behind soccer superstar Lionel Messi. Harden earns around $15 million per year from this deal. From his other endorsement deals and partnerships, he earns an estimated $30 million a year in total. Some of the biggest endorsement and partnership deals of Harden are as follows:

• Body Armor


• Beats Electronics


• Amazon


• EA Sports


• GoPuff


• State Farm


• Stance Socks

James Harden's investments

James Harden has made some major investments with his investment firm 13 Endeavours. According to reports, he has invested big in Mitchell & Ness, Jackpot, Art of Sport, Workstream, Pura, etc. In 2014, he reportedly invested $60 million in BodyArmor. Then in 2021, Coca-Cola acquired the energy drink brand which gave Harden a whopping 4000% return on investment. Furthermore, he also has a small stake in the Houston Dynamo of MLS with an investment of $15 million in 2019. In 2021, Harden purchased a minority stake in luxury retailer Saks.

James Harden's major achievements and awards

• NBA Most Valuable Player (2018)


• 10× NBA All-Star (2013–2022)


• 6× All-NBA First Team (2014, 2015, 2017–2020)


• All-NBA Third Team (2013)


• NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2012)


• 3× NBA scoring champion (2018–2020)


• 2× NBA assists leader (2017, 2023)


• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2010)


• NBA 75th Anniversary Team


• Consensus first-team All-American (2009)


• Pac-10 Player of the Year (2009)


• 2× First-team All-Pac-10 (2008, 2009)


• No. 13 jersey retired by Arizona State Sun Devils


• Second-team Parade All-American (2007)


• McDonald's All-American (2007)

James Harden's contract details

James Harden signed a two-year $68 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022. With this, he agreed to receive $33 million for the 2022-23 season and $35 million for the 2023-24 season. Following the 2022–23 season, Harden picked up his $35.6 million option to remain with the 76ers but eventually requested a trade. He was eventually acquired by the Los Angeles Clippers for an undisclosed amount.

James Harden's shoe deals

James Harden is currently locked into the 13-year $200 million deal that he signed with Adidas in August 2015. As per reports, Nike was unwilling to match the number tabled by Adidas, with The Beard still the face of the brand. Derrick Rose of the Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard, and LA Clippers star John Wall have also signed similar deals.

James Harden's charity and foundation

James Harden and his mother Monja Willis founded the "3 The Harden Way" foundation. The foundation aims to provide higher education to children in need. He also established the "Impact 13 Foundation", which is on a mission to help people with socio-economic disadvantages and empower women and the youth in the fields of education, entrepreneurship, the arts, fashion, and sports.

James Harden's car collection

James Harden has a great car collection and has been seen in some of his luxury rides from time to time. Some of the most dazzling cars in his collection are the Rolls-Royce Wraith, the Range Rover Autobiography, the Bentley Bentayga, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class Saloon, and a yellow Chevrolet Camaro SS.

James Harden's house

James Harden is one of the biggest fashion icons in the NBA right now. So when it came to his mansion, he did not play around. In 2019, the 10-time NBA All-Star shelled out $10 million to buy a luxury property in Houston that required three years to build. The estate spans over 3.5 acres with 8 bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms. The grand two-storied mansion has a gym, a theatre, a library, a game room, and a wine room, among other amenities. The house also has a large outdoor garden and an infinity swimming pool.

James Harden's social media accounts