James Harden is taking a strange victory lap over the very thing that never worked in Philadelphia.
The former MVP recently talked at length about the sacrifices he made after leaving the Rockets in pursuit of a championship, saying he gave up money and individual accolades by accepting a more secondary role in Brooklyn and then Philadelphia. In his telling, it was not worth it. That stance is bound to hit a nerve with 76ers fans, because Harden was one of the central reasons the team never broke through.
Philadelphia’s relationship with Harden was already damaged by the messy split with then-team president Daryl Morey over a contract extension, but that saga was only part of the story. The bigger issue was what happened on the floor.
The 76ers had a core of Harden, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey that was more than capable of making a deep playoff run, and Harden had his moments in the 2023 postseason. When the pressure rose, though, he didn’t deliver enough.
The clearest example came in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Celtics, when Harden combined for 22 points across two closeout games. That kind of showing is exactly why his complaints now sound so hollow to plenty of people around the team.
Yes, Harden did make sacrifices to fit alongside Embiid, an MVP candidate, and Maxey, a rising star. And yes, the 76ers gave him every chance. But in the end, he could not get it done.
Things later unraveled with Morey and the front office after Harden accused them of lying to him about a contract extension, and he forced his way out of Philadelphia. Since then, there has been no success to point to, either for his teams or for Harden individually.
When the same issue keeps showing up, the common thread usually deserves the blame. In this case, that thread is James Harden.
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