Allie Lorton
Professor Haupert Humanities 3 September, 2018 Imma Be A Star Just a kid from Compton, California, where the average household income is 50,329, created his own average by bringing in 28.3 million from his contract with the Houston Rockets alone in 2017. James Harden, a.k.a “The Beard” is this kids name, and this “kid” will go down as one of the most influential athletes of our generation. He envisioned his success, and revolutionized and branded his own signature move and playing style. These things created the 2017-2018 NBA seasons MVP, and a person that anyone can relate, and look up to. James Harden predicted his future success. According to an article on buisnessinsider.com written by Scott Davis, it discusses his prediction by saying, “Harden predicted he would be a star when he was just 12 years old, in a note he wrote to his mother. It read: "Could u wake me up at 7:00? "And could u leave me a couple of dollars? "P.S. Keep this paper. Imma be a star." At just 12 years old, James Harden had already made the decision of what he was going to be when he was older, and he decided he was going to be a star. From that point forward he knew exactly what he needed to do. He kept himself out of trouble even though he was surrounded by it, listened to his coaches, and trained relentlessly. This amount of hard work throughout high school led him to Arizona State University, and ultimately to the 2009 draft when he got selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not only did James Harden have a dream that most would call unreachable, but he predicted that he would reach the goal, and ultimately did. James Harden metamorphosed and stamped his own signature style, and move. After playing in OKC with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for 3 years, his time there was over. He was off to Houston, in the hopes that he would become their star player. After the 2013-14 NBA season, Houston knew that they had made the right decision. He had brought something new to not only Houston, but the entire NBA. The move that revolutionized his game, the stepback 3. In an article on espn.com by Tim MacMahon about Harden’s stepback, it says “No player in the NBA comes close to creating as much isolation production as Harden. According to NBA.com tracking, Harden led the league in points off isolation possessions the past two seasons at 6.4 and 6.6 points per game, respectively. That number has leapt to a league-leading 10.6 points per game off isos this season. And Harden's iso efficiency has similarly soared, averaging an astounding 1.28 points per possession, the best of any player with at least 20 opportunities.” An isolation play is when you give the ball to a player you know can score, and the team lets them do what they do best. Since iso plays are typically when Harden brings out the stepback, it shows how important the move is to his game. Another important aspect of his game that has made him so unique, is his eurostep. In an article on buisnessinsider.com by Scott Davis that talks about how unique his eurostep is, it notes “Harden in particular has made the move impossible to defend, because he's added another feature to it: drawing fouls on players who reach for the ball as he goes around them.” This shows how he has taken moves that have been used before, but adds his own flare to them to match his play style. Additionally, since he has an 85% free throw percentage he is either going to score the basket, or get fouled and make the free throws. James Harden has revolutionized the 3 point stepback, and the euro step to create his own unique playing style that many kids are trying to replicate today. James Harden is an athlete that anyone can look up to. He predicted his future success, and created his own signature playing style. Millions of people watch sports every week and become fans of certain athletes. Finding an athlete who is a humble person, is unique, and stays true to themself is the type of person that anyone can look up to. James Harden is one of those extremely unique athletes, and it will make “The Beard” a name that is remembered for an extremely long time.
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