It seems that James Harden’s ego and his attitude are causing him to block his own blessings. Because of the ongoing drama and not being able to get out of his own way, Harden reportedly missed out on an opportunity to be an All-star this past season.
ESPN report the 10-time All-Star was upset that he wasn’t originally voted to the All-Star Game this year and he reportedly felt slighted after being passed up.
In a long feature on Harden published this week, reporter Ramona Shelbourne Harden writes that her sources claimed Harden was “pouting” for days after the rosters were announced and it was confirmed that he was not going to be an All-Star in 2023. Adam Silver and the NBA reached out to Harden to select him as an replacement for an injured Kevin Durant, but Harden had ignored the message during his fit of pique and missed out on his opportunity to play in the game.
The NBA reportedly could not get assurance that he’d be in Salt Lake City, Utah, for the game which caused them to move on from Harden and would end up selecting Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam to replace KD.
“By the time Harden sent word that he would accept the invitation,” Shelburne wrote, “Silver had moved on, naming Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as the replacement for an injured Durant.”
Although this is the widespread belief about Harden, he doesn’t want this narrative about him floating around, and he responded by posting “lies” on his Instagram Story in response to ESPN’s news about him.
No one knows who to believe, and it honestly isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, especially because Harden is really worried about facilitating his way out of Philadelphia as soon as possible.
It is no secret that the 34-year-old guard is all but done with Philly and Sixers’ GM Daryl Morey, who actually gave Harden the freedom to play in his ball control style for years in Houston and is looking to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in order to continue his pursuit of a championship.
While he still remains a Sixer as of right now, Philly is in no rush to trade him especially because they have already stated that they’re looking for equal return of value, whether it be in picks and players, or an elite star-level player.
Harden felt he was snubbed from the All-Star Game even though he averaged 21 points, 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game last year. But whether his snubbing will be used as fuel to the fire, or something to sulk over during the twilight years of his career is up to Harden himself.
