James Harden remembered everything the world said about his weight. From his finale in Houston as a member of the Rockets to his entrance into Kings County to join the Brooklyn Nets, his physique has had its ballooning periods, and of course, the internet took notice.
So now that he has appeared slimmer than slim for his usual bounce-back and just in time for his 33rd birthday, Harden is making sure the world knows he isn’t playing around with his weight during the offseason. He recently discarded his awfully light “birthday cake” to set a tone for his new mentality.
On Friday, the Philadelphia 76ers star turned 33 years old and celebrated the only way he knows: real big. The Beard hosted an aquatic shindig with his friends aboard a yacht in Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles. The notorious partier looked unusually slim, given his usual offseason adventures with rap stars and other celebrities worldwide, and he wanted to make a statement.
why did James Harden throw his birthday cake off a yacht into the ocean 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/UvuLYyiMYk
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) August 26, 2022
When Harden was presented with his ceremonial birthday cake, which strangely was comparable to a wedding cake, he decided it was a good idea to toss it overboard. Interestingly, he handled the tiered confection so easily that the internet abuzz with speculation that the cake was fake.
Harden’s party also had a tequila bar to complement the theme of weight consciousness; next to vodka, which has only 100 calories per shot, tequila is only 110 calories; no brown liquor highlight here, folks. Additionally, Harden leaned into his Beard nickname with a huge ice sculpture silhouette of his bearded glory to make the function complete.
Dressed in all white, Harden’s over-the-railing cake toss made the DJ say “oh my God” and attendees went wild. Ranked as the 13th-best player in the league, Harden is digging his heels into Philadelphia and his newfound on-court partnership with center Joel Embiid. Harden wants to add a championship to his stellar career, and he might be able to close the loop on that pursuit in the City of Brotherly Love.
it’s a long story I been busy working pic.twitter.com/s67ob6x5Cm
— James Harden (@JHarden13) August 25, 2022
He has posted images of his summer workouts through the offseason, and the results are apparent. Known for traveling around the globe with entertainment luminaries like Lil’ Baby and more, Harden still likes to party but seems disciplined at the same time now. He got close to making a championship run in Houston, and then the world practically assumed he would get a championship in Brooklyn teaming up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
However, Durant and Harden reportedly got off on the wrong foot when Harden showed up to his initial Nets camp in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, out of shape. Durant is a super competitor, and anything against his ambitions is a no-no. Although the two are cool, recently reuniting backstage at a concert, Harden is still missing the hardware that Durant has achieved twice.
❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/JrZgxeuvXP
— James Harden (@JHarden13) July 28, 2022
With the disgruntled Ben Simmons now a Nets player and Harden easing the fears of the Philly faithful, Harden knows that locking in, losing the party-all-the-time image, and outwardly showing his dedication to the championship cause can yield the results he desires. So expect more cakes thrown off the decks of yachts.
