He is one of the most prolific scorers and the best shooting guard in the NBA. Moreover, he is one of the top overall players in the league.
He is also popularly known by his nickname, “The Beard.” We are talking about none other than the proficient and energetic player, “James Harden.”
Harden is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association.
What was his life like? How did he get into NBA? We shall take a closer look at his life from the early days to date right here in this article.
But, before that, let’s have a sneak peek into the quicks facts about James Harden.
Quick Facts- James Harden
| Full Name | James Edward Harden, Jr. |
| Birth Date | August 26, 1989 |
| Birth Place | Los Angeles, California |
| Nick Name | The Beard, JHard |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | (Black) African- American |
| Education | Audubon Middle School, Artesia High School, Arizona State University |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Father’s Name | James Harden, Sr. |
| Mother’s Name | Monja Willis |
| Siblings | Two older Siblings (Names not known) |
| Age | 34 Years Old |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in. (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 220 lb (99.8 kg) |
| Shoe Size | 14 (US) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Body Measurement | Chest size(44 in), Waist size (34 in), Arms/Biceps size (15 in) |
| Build | Athlete |
| Married | No |
| Girlfriend | Rumored (Gail Golden) |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Profession | NBA Player |
| Net Worth | $165 million |
| Salary | $38,199,000 |
| Current Team | Houston Rockets |
| League | NBA |
| Active Since | 2009- present |
| Social Media | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Paperback, Bobblehead |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
James Harden | Early Life
James Harden was born on August 26, 1989, to his parents, James Harden Sr. and Monja Willis, in Los Angeles, California.
He was the middle child in the family. His father was a navy seaman but performing the duty of seamen was not that easy. He had his own struggle leaning on the right side of the law.
His father’s constant encounter with the law led his mother to take the overall responsibility for Harden, his elder sister, and half-brother.
Harden himself faced a rough time growing up in a city like Compton, where drug abuse and violence ruled the entire day.
Moreover, Harden’s father himself got stuck with drug dealing in the area.
Sports played the role of a savior in his life to protect him from drug abuse and violence.
James Harden| High School Career
James attended Artesia High School in Lakewood, California. When he was in grade ten, he scored 13.2 points, which sounded remarkable for a fresher.
Furthermore, he led the way to California State Title in his junior season with 18.8 points, 7.7 boards, and 3.5 assists.
Artesia repeated its reign in State Championship in Harden’s senior year. James was titled McDonald’s All-American and also received second-team Parade All-American honors.
James also led the AAU team, Pump-N-Run Elite, to the 2006 Las Vegas Adidas Super 64 championship.
Overall, he gained victory over all the teams’ finest, including players like Michael Beasley, Nolan Smith, Austin Freeman, and Kevin Love.
James Harden| College Career
He joined Arizona State University for his college and played for the Sun Devils. Arizona State was picked up to finish ninth in the Pac-10 Conference. After having Hazard perform for the team,
Arizona stood fifth in the Pac-10. Arizona took part in the 2008 NCAA Tournament but was left out as a bubble team.
They also unlocked their door to the 2008 NIT field and got victory over Alabama State and Southern Illinois before defending national champion Florida.
Harden was titled to first-team All-Pac-10 and conference all-freshman team, and first-team All-District by the NABC and the USBWA.
He was also titled to the Wooden Award preseason watch list. Further, he declared for the 2009 NBA draft and hired Rob Pelinka as his agent.
James Harden | Professional Career
Harden was selected in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 3rd overall pick.
He inked a contract with Thunders for two years worth $4.76 million. He played for the Thunders until the 2012 season and got him the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Looking at his outstanding performance, the Thunders tried to extend his contract for four years worth $55 million.
But the contract was not a success; he switched to the Houston Rockets.
With his laudable debut for his team, Houstons now, he earned Player of the Week honors more than three times in a season.
He was the third Rocket star to jump the scoring to 3000 points in less than 120 appearances with his extra-fine shooting skills.
Eventually, Harden showed up as one of the top contenders for the league MVP award, which was previously named to Stephen Curry.
With his excellence, he got the first-ever National Basketball Players Association’s MVP award.
His performance in the league was just going relentlessly. He became the third player in the history of the league to make a score of a least 29 points, six rebounds, and 7 assists in one season.
Harden has inked a six-year deal with the Rockets. He has proved himself as the lead scorer in the NBA with 19,578 points for the 2020 season.
He received his first quadruple-double, which positioned him as the 6th in league history.
Harden was a winner of the league’s MVP award for 2018.
After the Rockets, the professional basketball player was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on January 14, 2021.
National Team Career
Harden was a part of the United States national team that received a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.
He was also a part of the team that won the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014. He also remained a contender for the 2016 Olympics, but he drew his name back from the team.
James Harden | Career Stats
|
Year
|
Team
|
GP
|
Min
|
Pts
|
FG%
|
3pt%
|
Reb
|
Ast
|
Stl
|
Blk
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2020
|
Nets
|
36
|
36.6
|
24.6
|
47.1
|
36.6
|
8.5
|
10.9
|
1.3
|
0.8
|
|
2020
|
Rockets
|
8
|
36.2
|
24.8
|
44.4
|
34.7
|
5.1
|
10.4
|
0.9
|
0.8
|
|
2019
|
Rockets
|
68
|
36.5
|
34.3
|
44.4
|
35.5
|
6.6
|
7.5
|
1.8
|
0.9
|
|
2018
|
Rockets
|
78
|
36.8
|
36.1
|
44.2
|
36.8
|
6.6
|
7.5
|
2.0
|
0.7
|
|
2017
|
Rockets
|
72
|
35.4
|
30.4
|
44.9
|
36.7
|
5.4
|
8.8
|
1.8
|
0.7
|
|
2016
|
Rockets
|
81
|
36.4
|
29.1
|
44.0
|
34.7
|
8.1
|
11.2
|
1.5
|
0.5
|
|
2015
|
Rockets
|
82
|
38.1
|
29.0
|
43.9
|
35.9
|
6.1
|
7.5
|
1.7
|
0.6
|
|
2014
|
Rockets
|
81
|
36.8
|
27.4
|
44.0
|
37.5
|
5.7
|
7.0
|
1.9
|
0.7
|
|
2013
|
Rockets
|
73
|
38.0
|
25.4
|
45.6
|
36.6
|
4.7
|
6.1
|
1.6
|
0.4
|
|
2012
|
Rockets
|
78
|
38.3
|
25.9
|
43.8
|
36.8
|
4.9
|
5.8
|
1.8
|
0.5
|
|
2012
|
Thunder
|
4
|
28.8
|
13.5
|
28.6
|
25.0
|
3.5
|
4.5
|
1.2
|
0.0
|
|
2011
|
Thunder
|
62
|
31.4
|
16.8
|
49.1
|
39.0
|
4.1
|
3.7
|
1.0
|
0.2
|
|
2010
|
Thunder
|
82
|
26.7
|
12.2
|
43.6
|
34.9
|
3.1
|
2.1
|
1.1
|
0.3
|
|
2009
|
Thunder
|
76
|
22.9
|
9.9
|
40.3
|
37.5
|
3.2
|
1.8
|
1.1
|
0.3
|
|
Career
|
|
877
|
34.4
|
25.1
|
44.4
|
36.3
|
5.5
|
6.5
|
1.6
|
0.5
|
James Harden | Personal Life
Harden is a Christian by religion. He is a firm believer who says -“I just want to thank God for everything he has done in my life.”
Talking about his past relationships and hook-ups, he has maintained a pretty good history. This man excels in whatever he does on the court off the court.
Guess his distinctive feature of a long beard and towering height does all the magic.
Harden has been linked with different names out there, and that includes Ashanti, Khloe Kardashian, Jessyka Janshel, Amber Rose, Tahiry Jose, Sarah Bellew, and Kyra Chaos.
But, as of 2020, there are widespread rumors of him dating a social media influencer. Oh, let’s undermine this because the upcoming next title to her is just worth it.
She is a BBA graduate in Computer Information Systems and holds a job as a cybersecurity consultant.
Gail Golden is her name. She has been caught on several Rocket games lately; now, we cannot really bet whether it is just a rumor or a reality.
James Harden| Endorsement and Sponsorship
Not to mention, James Harden’s endorsement and sponsorship deals add a lot of money to his bank account.
The sports fanatic inked a 13-years long deal with Adidas for $200 million in 2015. Before that, Harden was with Nike.
It was during 2009 when Harden began growing his trademark beard as he got too lazy to shave.
His style of keeping a long beard got him an endorsement deal with Trolli’s, where a sketch of his face and beard was shown. His beard was also shown in songs and t-shirts.
To add on, his endorsement deals include Beats Electronics, Stance Stocks, State Farm, and Body Armour. As per the report, Harden earned solely $17 million from endorsement deals.
And rumors also say he would be earning $19 million as of 2024with his endorsement deals.
James Harden| Net Worth
It seems clear that Harden has worked hard day in and day out to establish his name in the NBA league.
Yeah, it’s a mere truth that he has not conquered an NBA Championship to his name, but he is striving hard for it.
The only thing that one can learn from his life, like a fever, is his dedication and passion for basketball. His contract with the Rockets gives him a whopping amount of $228 million with more in bonuses.
As the sources claim, – James Harden’s net worth is around $165 million as of 2024.
Additionally, his latest salary amount includes a 24.95% increase from his last season’s salary amount -$38,199,000.
He is undeniably the second-highest-paid Houston Rockets player, the fifth best-paid guard, and the fifth best-paid player in the NBA this season.
Talking about his investments, Harden has invested in Major League Soccer team Houston Dynamo and National Women’s Soccer League team Houston Dash. He is the owner of a stake in the group that owns both clubs and their stadium.
House and Car Collection
A dream does not turn into a reality with a snap of a finger; it takes a lot of hard work, time, patience, determination, and sweat.
Thanks to his spirit of hard work, he has been living the life of his dreams.
James Harden owns a mansion worth $10 million in Houston. The house was built by the Frankel Building Group in three years and covered 26,000 square feet.
The mansion has eight bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms, a music room, a fitness room, a lavish kitchen, a cocktail bar, and a huge swimming pool.
His car collection list includes a Bentley Bentayga, Rolls Royce Wraith, and Range Rover Autobiography.
Get an even more detailed update on his net worth right here: James Harden Net Worth: Income, House & Cars >>
Net Worth of James Harden in Different Currencies
Here is the James Harden’s net worth in different currencies, including the cryptocurrency BitCoin.
| Currency | Net Worth |
| Euro | €140,166,675 |
| Pound Sterling | £120,987,075 |
| Australian Dollar | A$225,460,620 |
| Canadian Dollar | C$208,910,625 |
| Indian Rupee | ₹12,305,914,500 |
| BitCoin | ฿5,236 |
James Harden | Famous Quotes
“In any situation, I’m going to be good.”- James Harden.
“Now I’m back in my old ways. Needing to be the leader, need to score.”- James Harden.
“There are a lot of guys who play in the NBA; there aren’t a lot of guys who have a chance to win a gold medal, too.”- James Harden.
“In business, you’ve got to move on.”- James Harden.
“I’m old school. I’m not the fastest guy or the quickest guy.” -James Harden.
“If you have a dream, chase it no matter what it takes.” -James Harden.
“This is a business, and everything happens for a reason. I’m going to play hard, try to play hard, and do whatever it takes to win.” – James Harden.
“Being in attack mode is something I try to bring into every single game, and that’s what’s making me so successful.” ~ James Harden.
James Harden – Social Media Presence
Not to deny, James Harden is one fine socialite when it comes to Social Media Presence. And the number of explosive followers he has in his social media profiles prove that easily.
He keeps amusing his fandom with his constant posts and updates. If you haven’t followed him yet, feel free to give him a follow and have a peek into his life.
Facebook- @jharden13 and has 4.1 followers
Instagram- @jharden13 and has 11.6m followers
Twitter- @JHarden13 and has 7.6m followers.
Also, feel free to read about another NBA star Alize Johnson.
Some FAQs
What Happened to James Harden and Lil Baby?
After police found 20 grams of cannabis in the rapper Lil Baby’s car, Harden being a close friend of Lil baby was detained and frisked by police in Paris on Thursday.
Lil Baby was arrested along with an unidentified man and charged with transporting drugs.
What Type of Haircut does James Possess?
James changed his old-fashioned hairstyle to his braided hair and a headband in the year 2020.
What happened to James Harden’s eye?
Harden suffered from an eye injury after he was poked in both eyes by Draymond Green. After the incident, he immediately left the game and later returned to the game with terrifying red eyes.
What are the Jersey Numbers, James?
James wears Jersey Number 13.
Are James Harden and Kevin Durant friends?
James and Kevin are very good friends. They are not just good friends but better teammates also.
How many times has James Harden won the NBA scoring title?
Harden has won 3 NBA Scoring titles.
Which Team is Harden Currently Playing for?
Harden is currently playing for Brooklyn Nets.
