Harden dishes an emotional assist
When James Harden heard that 20-year-old John Hao, a Michigan State student shot in the back during a campus shooting earlier this month, was a big fan of his, the former Rockets’ star did more than just send gifts or donate some money. He got a hold of Hao in a Lansing, Mich., hospital with a FaceTime call to give him some encouraging words.
“Everything will work itself out, be strong,” Harden told Hao in a FaceTime call shown on ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Thursday. “You’re alright, you’re alright. I promise you are. Alright? I love when you’re smiling, too. I love when you’re smiling, alright? I’m with you. I know it’s tough right now but you have to stay physically strong, you know what I mean? You just got to think positive things and keep pushing and keep fighting. I got you. I got some gifts for you, too. I got some things coming your way, hopefully give you some encouragement and make you smile a little bit, you know what I mean? I’m with you. Let me know if you need anything else. I got you.”
Hao, a junior from China, is paralyzed from the chest down after a bullet severed his spinal cord in the Feb. 13 shooting that killed three Michigan State students and injured five.
Harden heard about Hao’s situation and his love for the 76ers guard through a GoFundMe that has raised more than $375,000 for Hao’s medical care. Harden made an undisclosed donation to the GoFundMe and members of Harden’s team visited Hao in the hospital where they delivered gifts, including a pair of game-worn sneakers, and put Harden on FaceTime for the emotional call.
“The more I can encourage and rub off this energy that I have and give him hope, I feel like that’s what I’m here for, and that’s what I’ve got this platform for,” Harden told reporters after scoring 31 points with seven rebounds and seven assists in the 76ers’ win over the Grizzlies on Thursday night. “Hopefully he can recover and bounce back out of that sooner than later, but I gave him my number, so whenever he ever feels like he needs anything he can call me and I check up on him.”
Harden, who forced his way out of Houston and was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, is averaging 21.6 points and a leaguebest 10.7 assists per game with the 76ers, who currently are third in the Eastern Conference. With Thursday’s performance, Harden passed Allen Iverson on the NBA/ABA’s alltime scoring list, moving up to No. 31 with 24,386 points.