Harden embraces new responsibility as face of the Rockets
If there was any doubt that he was committed to the city of Houston, James Harden erased it during the last couple of days.
Gone are the days of the Rockets star spending his offseason at yacht parties with the Kardashians, and now come the days of being a regular in the community.
What a difference a couple of years and a giant contract extension make.
In early July, when Harden signed a $228 million contract extension — the richest in NBA history— he said he was all in with the Rockets.
He said the Rockets were the team with whom he could see himself finishing his career. He said Houston was his home.
Since then, Harden has backed up his words with his actions, raising his stock off the basketball court and in the community.
Last week, he donated $100,000 to Texas Southern University.
Over the last several days, he hosted several charity and community events as part of his JH-Town Weekend.
In addition to providing backpacks and school supplies to kids from the Boys &Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, Harden also hosted a star-studded basketball tournament and donated the proceeds to his scholarship fund.
These events aren’t the first charitable events in the area in which Harden has participated. He has been giving for years.
But there is something different this time. It feels like
Harden’s roots are getting deeper in Houston.
And that bodes well for the Rockets.
The NBA isn’t a loyalist league anymore. There aren’t many franchise players left.
Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant defined their teams, and each represented their cities and teams — the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively — for nearly two decades.
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks is the last of those old-school type of players who spends his career in one place.
Over the last couple of summers, there have been an abundance of reminders that players aren’t sticking to their teams and cities out of loyalty anymore.
It’s all about the super team. About the wins. About the rings.
And that’s understandable.
But it also eliminates to idea of one player being the face of a franchise — the star who remains put for the long haul.
Harden, who spent the first three years of his career in Oklahoma City, stands out in the NBA as the face of the Rockets.
And, after signing an extension that runs through the 2022-23 season, it looks like Harden is here to stay.
The franchise player is a great part of basketball. Those who spend the majority of their careers in one place and become part of the fabric of a city make the game even more special. When a player gives back to a city and calls it home, he becomes more than an athlete.
Think Reggie Miller, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson.
They aren’t just associated with a team. They are legends in their respective cities.
If Harden keeps up this level of community interaction and remains with the Rockets through the end of his career, he could be counted among those franchise mainstays.
Over the last two seasons, Harden has shown a higher level of maturity.
He has grown into a leader on the court, becoming more vocal with his teammates and helping the organization grow by recruiting other players — such as Chris Paul — to join the Rockets.
In addition to what he has done directly with the franchise, Harden has become more approachable to fans, showing up more and more at events around the city and becoming extremely generous with his time and money.
In a city like Houston, those things go a long way, especially when they come from superstars.
Harden’s social-media accounts over the last several days featured photos of him with other players from around the league, interacting with fans who flocked to Rice University for the weekend festivities.
Harden has come a long way as he goes about the process of remaking his image. He has taken on the responsibility of being the new face of the Rockets and has done so in a positive way.
Instead of photos of Harden hobnobbing at clubs around the country or being spotted in Los Angeles with a celebrity girlfriend, there now are more pictures of him interacting with kids, working out during the offseason and spending time with his teammates.
The images and his recent actions reveal a new side of Harden.
In those photos all over social media last weekend, Harden was grinning.
He was comfortable. He was happy. And he was home.