via Imago
Image Courtesy – Imago
via Imago
Image Courtesy – Imago
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is one of the top MVP candidates for the 2023 season and fans know the Slovenian player is well-deserving of the award. On the other hand, NBA superstar James Harden‘s partnership with Joel Embiid has placed the Philadelphia 76ers as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference as of now. The Luka Doncic and James Harden debate has been going on for a while in the league now and every discussion has led to a clash of opinions among fans. For instance, a former Los Angeles Clippers star recently raised the point of Harden not receiving the same acknowledgement as Doncic, prompting a heavy backlash from fans for his claims.
Lately, Luka Doncic has been smashing records one after the another much to fans’ delight. Doncic recently surpassed NBA Great Wilt Chamberlain by becoming the youngest player to score a 50-point triple-double. Additionally, the Slovenian also joined James Harden as one of the only two players in the league’s history to score a 60-point triple-double.
NBA fans disagree with Jamal Crawford’s claims
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In a recent episode of NBA on TNT, former NBA star Jamal Crawford raised the debate again with his fellow analysts. Crawford stated that the kind of performance Luka Doncic was putting on the court, James Harden had already shown it before. The NBA analyst then questioned why there was a difference in the kind of reactions both players received from the sports world.
https://twitter.com/_Talkin_NBA/status/1620669184370696192?s=20&t=YxRBbSoHxmYAxW4pHjRecQ
“Why is it that, we don’t give him [Harden] his respect that he, all the score numbers, like the stuff you see with Luka doing right now, you go back and look Harden is doing all the same things. Why do we not give Harden his love when he was doing all the same numbers in Houston?” Crawford asked.
In response, WNBA star Candace Parker explained that while Harden is a great player and deserves to be an All-Star in the 2023 season, people are not going to appreciate him until Harden starts putting up stellar performances like before consistently.
Following Crawford’s comments, Twitterati jumped into Doncic’s ‘defense’. Several fans stated that Doncic was younger than the Sixers guard when he made the major accomplishments. Whereas, others pointed out that Harden did receive the love and attention that Doncic is getting at the moment. Below are a few of the tweets.
Really ? This is what a highly paid "Analyst" comes up with ? Luka is doing this stuff with 23, different trajectory. Also, which love is Luka getting and Harden did not get ? Not sure what he's even talking about.
— LPFE (@LPFE1972) February 1, 2023
He was an MVP. Got major love… he forced his way out 2 franchises. and Luka is younger than harden was doing this stuf… what’s the point here?
— Maxwell (@iDoc_mcw) February 1, 2023
This is the type of analysis we get in the NBA. Compare it to what the NFL gets 😭😭
— Randy (@JJohn623) February 1, 2023
I’m so damn tired of this narrative. 1 he got love/flowers all day everyday when he was doing it, 2 he was way older, 3 since then he pushed for 2 trades, 4 during LeBron prime and warriors dynasty, 5 he specifically flamed out in playoffs. Did people TVs YTube Twitter 5yrs ago?
— MFFL Frank (@WaltonFcw832) February 1, 2023
I could’ve sworn I seen Harden on ESPN damn near every day… y’all just make shit up man. Both are are amazing players tho
— Omar (@gonzalez25_omar) February 1, 2023
We gave him the props stop it. How then did he win the MVP and all other accolades if he wasn’t given his flowers?
— Teflon (@Lukieeyworld) February 1, 2023
Atrocious take. Luka is slept on, but JC won’t acknowledge cus it won’t fit the narrative
— 4L (@Karson_AK) February 1, 2023
Harden was getting all kinds of credit come on man!? People were arguing he was the best offensive player OF ALL TIME! Got an MVP as well….he just couldn’t do it in the playoffs. Numbers don’t lie @JCrossover
— Ashley Schaeffer BMW (@wyte_shadoe) February 1, 2023
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Jalen Rose’s take on the Luka Doncic-James Harden debate
About two and a half years before Jamal Crawford made the James Harden claims, former Indiana Pacers star and analyst Jalen Rose had addressed the same issue. In 2020, when Luka Doncic was leading in assist points, Rose hadn’t liked the fact that the Dallas Mavericks star was gaining more attention than James Harden.
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In an episode of the NBA Countdown, Rose stated, “James Harden?s been doing this. Let?s not act like James Harden hasn?t been giving us 50-point triple-doubles, and Russell Westbrook didn?t just average a triple-double two years ago now.”
Do you agree with Crawford and Rose or do you think Harden received his fair share of recognition when he was in his prime? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
