NBA – James Harden honest about retiring: “It will be the end for me at this point”

Par Guillaume Kagni | Journaliste sportif

These days, and this is a good thing for their fans, superstars are playing longer and longer. LeBron James is 40, Stephen Curry 37 and Kevin Durant 36. James Harden, now 35, has given some hints about his impending retirement.

If James Harden doesn’t win the title by the end of his career, he’ll join the likes of Charles Barkley and Karl Malone among the kings without a crown. Unlike the two Hall of Famers, he hasn’t been thwarted in his quest by Michael Jordan and the Bulls, but rather by Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the Warriors dynasty. And yet, he hasn’t come close.

In 2018, buoyed by his MVP title, he pushed Steve Kerr’s men to a Game 7 in the Conference Finals, and were it not for Chris Paul’s injury, the Rockets clearly could have won and challenged the Cavaliers. What’s even more impressive about the Bearded One is his ability to evolve and transform his style of play. From an untouchable scorer, he has become an extremely accurate point guard.

At 35, James Harden talks about retirement

What is certain is that, with or without a ring on his finger, James Harden will one day make his entry into the Hall of Fame, and it will be richly deserved. But when will he stop? In an appearance on the stream of influencer Cam Wilder, who has almost 2 million subscribers on YouTube, he gave his first answer. He’s still got fuel in the tank.

I’m 35 today. I may have white hairs in my beard, but I don’t feel old. That’s the best thing about it. And I don’t play like a 35-year-old either. I think the day I start playing like people that age, that’ll be the end of me. I’ll hang up my sneakers then.

James Harden is 35, his hair is greying, but he doesn’t necessarily feel old. That’s why he’s continuing his career with the Clippers. As long as he can stand up to the new generation, as long as he can have a real impact on games, he’ll keep going. On the other hand, if he loses his game, he’ll leave on his own. Another topic raised in this stream is “small” players:

In the future, players who are under 1m92 are going to have to be really special to exist in the league. A guy like Stephen Curry is the best shooter in history. Kyrie Irving handles the ball like nobody’s business. But if you don’t have that, it’s going to be complicated for them. Now the point guards are huge and can do anything on the court. The little guys are going to be fewer and fewer.