At 34 years of age, Los Angeles Clippers player James Harden has served in the NBA for over 15 years now. With just a few more years remaining until he would have to bid adieu to the league entirely, there is no better time than now to reflect on everything that the player has achieved and would like to achieve soon. During a recent interview with BasketNews, the player was asked how he would like his legacy to be remembered. Without hesitation, he replied that he wanted people to know “That I was a winner, that I was a teacher, that I had a different love for the game. Put the money aside, I really enjoy and love the game of basketball and playing it.” While this remark may have been meant in good spirits, the same did not go along well with renowned ESPN sportscaster Stephen A. Smith.

During the recent episode of his long-running show, Smith touched base on James Harden’s recent remarks, specifically targeting the fact that the player wished to be remembered as “a winner”. While he admitted that the NBA player is someone who can be described as “great”, the fact that he hasn’t won even a single NBA championship during his 15-year career cannot allow the usage of the term ‘winner’ in his overall legacy. If the same was left, the sportscaster believes that Harden’s alleged inconsistency does not bode well in his favor.

“He (Harden) has been accused of quitting on numerous occasions,” said Smith. “When those two things are on your resume, or those two things are speculated about you, you can’t go on an interview and talk about how you want to be seen as a winner”. He further stated that if Harden goes on to make such claims about himself, then they better be backed with some evidence.

The ‘quitting’ allegation may have stemmed from the fact that over his more than a decade-long career, the shooting guard has alternated between five different teams, with three of those switches taking place within the last 3 years. He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, who would go on to send him to the Philadelphia 76ers a year later. After the team management did not provide him a raise in his contract, Harden opted to seek a trade that would then place him with the LA Clippers. Furthermore, the player has only reached the NBA Finals once. During the series, his performance had seen a sudden drop, with the player only securing an average score of 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists during the five matchups against the Miami Heat. Smith believed that his performance in the NBA Finals made him “somebody that was M-I-A (Missing in Action). You were nowhere to be found.”

Rasheed Wallace believes that James Harden will be remembered as someone who gave “another grown man a bag full of honey buns”

Stephen A Smith was not the only person who chose to call out James Harden on his “Winner” remark. Amongst the list of people who didn’t shy away from sharing their reaction was former Detroit Pistons star Rasheed Wallace. During an interview with ‘Sheed & Tyler’, the 49-year-old stated “I’m going to remember him for giving another grown man a bag full of honey buns”.

This was a reference to an incident from four years ago when Harden gifted renowned American rapper Lil Baby with a Prada Bag that was filled with about $100,000 in cash. “Honey Buns” is often used as slang to describe money. While the rest of the Houston Rockets roster was somewhere else, the NBA player was instead busy celebrating Lil Baby. Highlighting the moment as Harden’s most memorable one, Wallace continued “If a man gave me a bag full of money with honey buns inside there. I’m going to have to get that bag”.

How would you choose to describe James Harden if the question was ever broached to you? Let us know in the comments down below.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.