Sports Nicknames - The Beard

James Harden is one of the NBA's most recognizable faces, thanks to his signature giant beard and his prolific scoring. Having played in the NBA for nearly a decade now, Harden has shown what a terrific shooting guard can do for teams.



Harden first caught the eye when he was playing for college team Arizona State. He was named an All-American in 2009 before declaring for the Draft. His first team was the Oklahoma City Thunder, immediately setting records (like 7 consecutive 3-point field goals).

It was with the Houston Rockets that Harden would make his legacy. He was named to the NBA All-Star team in all 8 seasons he was with the team, winning the overall Most Valuable Player award in 2018. He is the only player to record a 60-point triple double, the only player to score at least 30 points against all other NBA teams in a single season, and the youngest player to reach 1,000 career 3-pointers. This is only a small selection of the records that Harden has set.

Harden left Houston for the Brooklyn Nets for the 2021 season after the coach and management team left the Rockets. "The Beard", as Harden had become known to NBA fans everywhere, had never won a team trophy with Houston, but had done quite a bit of scoring to try. In his first season at the Nets, he was once again named to the NBA All-Star Game.

Harden's only team awards might come in the form of 2 gold medals he won for the United States national basketball team a decade ago. Regardless, James "The Beard" Harden has made his mark on the league and will surely continue to do so until he hangs up his shoes.


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