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 qualities created the 2017-2018 NBA seasons NBA MVP, and a person that anyone can relate, and look up to. Harden was born on August 26th, 1989, and was the youngest of 3 kids. According to Harden’s mother, because of multiple miscarriages that she had between her second child and James, she knew that this one had to be something special, so she gave him the nickname “Lucky.”(1) Despite being a single mother in Compton, California at a time when the city’s crime rate, specifically homicide rate was at its highest point, she was endlessly devoted to her children's happiness, and safety. Because of this extreme emphasis on happiness and safety, James’ mother found other extracurriculars for James to do after school that would keep him busy, which to her, meant out of trouble. It was then that James discovered a love that would carry him through the rest of his childhood, and adult life, the game of basketball. After discovering this love, James spent every single hour that he wasn’t at school, shooting hoops at the end of their slim driveway. He even said some nights he would shoot until 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning. (1)After playing for so long, and still loving the game, young James knew exactly what he wanted to do. At 12 years old, James Harden wrote a note to his mom that 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." (2) After leaving this note he went on to work even harder than he was before. At Artesia High School, he was the only freshman to make the varsity team, but his only strength was the fact that he was a great shooter. He was frail, small, slow, and out of shape, but he could shoot.(1) Then, he found his style, which consisted of many “unorthodox” moves that didn’t take extreme athleticism to incorporate. Then, after leading his high school to 2 state championships, this “new” James committed to Arizona State University, where he continued to dominate, grasp the nation's attention, and most importantly, begin to grow the beard.(1) In the 2009 NBA draft, James Harden was selected as the 3rd pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder.(3) At OKC, he was the 6th man who was hiding in the shadows behind Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant. After 2 years on OKC, the head coach offered Harden a starting position on the team, and to the coach’s surprise, Harden responded by saying no.(1) He kept his sixth man position, which ultimately led him to the Sixth Man award in 2012. He was the second youngest player ever to win. Harden believed that this was his place in the NBA forever, until he got a phone call from OKC, a contract offer 6 million dollars less than league maximum. They only gave him an hour to decide if he was going to accept. This wasn’t enough time for him to decide, so later that night he received another phone call from OKC, in which they simply said, “Sorry we love you, but we have traded you to the Houston Rockets.”(1) This was a sad day for Harden, because all of the hopes and dreams he had about winning a championship with the players he meshed so well with, were thrown out of the window. But in Houston, he would no longer be the sixth man, “he was the man.” 37 points in his first game, 45 in his second, Houston knew they had made the right decision, and Harden knew that he was going to succeed. This confidence gave Harden the ability to metamorphosize his game for the better of not only his team, but everyone playing the game. The eurostep that he began to use in High School, and the stepback three were the moves that made him the unique player that he could be in Houston. Through the 2012-2017 seasons, he was an all-star, and the Rockets go to, star player. This growth and development led him to the 2017-2018 season, which was one that would change his life. After making in through the regular season with the most points per game in the league (30.4ppg), it was time for the playoffs. (5) They made it to the western conference finals, and in game six they led 3-2 against the Golden State Warriors. With 8 minutes left in the third quarter, the Rockets were down 64-63, and Harden had the ball. With Stephen Curry guarding him, he dribbled to the top of the three point line, and then does a right to left crossover, an in between the legs, then steps back behind the three point line, puts up a shot, and then swish. A minute in a half later he does the exact same thing. Even though the Rockets ended up losing the game, and the series, Harden showed how vicious of a player he was when running isolation plays even against some of the best players in the league. “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.” This extremely high isolation efficiency was one of the major factors that made him a candidate for the NBA’s MVP. And to no one’s surprise, he won. James Harden says that he want to “continue to do the unnormal”, but obviously he always has. From keeping out of trouble as a kid when everyone else was getting into it, to devoting his life to the game of basketball at just 12 years old, and reaching his goals in his own way. He went from Artesia, to ASU, to OKC, to Houston, and then all the way to MVP. “Imma be a star” were not just 4 words on a sheet of paper, these simple words represent James Harden’s life, and his journey to becoming the star on and off the court that he is today.
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