James Harden is a guard in the NBA who has played for Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and his current team, the Philadelphia 76ers. He makes a large salary from both being in the NBA and his long term deal with Adidas and does it all with his signature look, which of course includes his beard that he has had since his start in the NBA.
Harden was born on August 26, 1989, in Los Angeles, California to parents James Harden Sr. and Monja Willis. He played basketball at Artesia High School and continued into college at Arizona State. While at Arizona state, he earned the title of Pac-10 Conference Player in 2009.
In 2009, Harden was the third pick in the NBA draft for the Oklahoma City Thunder. A few years later, in 2012, he was on the gold metal winning U.S. Olympic team. That same year, in October, Oklahoma City Thunder announced that they were trading Harden to the Houston Rockets. He played for them for nearly 10 years, until 2021. He found a lot of success with the Houston Rockets and became one of the best three point shooters in the NBA. In 2018, he became the first player in NBA history to score 60 points in a triple-double and he was awarded the title of Most Valuable Player. Since then, he has played for two additional teams, the Brooklyn Nets for one year and the Philadelphia 76ers, who he plays for now. Harden has dealt with a hamstring injury for the last couple of years.
Harden has made money from endorsement deals. He had a contract with Nike but when that ended, he signed a 13 year endorsement deal with Adidas in 2015. His shoes are his staple item, but he also has other athletic clothing with Adidas.
Since Harden has been part of the NBA for over 10 years now he has become a very recognizable player in the league. One thing he is known for is his beard, so much so that his nickname has become “the beard.” He has had it since playing in the NBA. He also is know for his “stirring the pot” move he does after he gets a shot as well as his famous “Euro step” move.
