James Harden was instrumental during the Los Angeles Clippers’ win over the Atlanta Hawks. He was great throughout his 29 minutes of play. Harden caught some balls and distributed some to his teammates. But he was really caught off-guard by the WWE superstar, The Miz.
During an entertaining segment on the FanDuel Sports Network SoCal broadcast, The Miz made headlines with his comments on Harden. When reporter Lauren Rosen asked him which member of the Clippers he thought would make the best WWE wrestler, Miz’s response was cheeky.
“James Harden, just not in the playoffs,” the WWE star said.
James Harden just got cooked on his own broadcast 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/rV7zka40AJ
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) January 5, 2025
This playful jab created a fun moment among the panel as it was starkly pointed at The Beard’s performances when the postseason rolled around. Although, Rosen almost immediately quipped at The Miz for his comments on James with – “Come on.”
The dig was aimed at one of Harden’s long standing problems, his playoff performances. While he has an impressive regular-season record of 24.1 points per game on 44 percent shooting, his postseason stats are slightly lower. The Knicks star averages 22.7 points per game at 42.5 percent during his playoff run.
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James Harden Shared An Interesting Story Behind Being Bribed With Hamburgers
The Harden we know today might not have been like this had he not been bribed at a young age. The California-born NBA guard had an interesting path to becoming one of basketball’s biggest stars. His skills have a hilariously memorable connection to his high school days.
When he first joined Artesia High School, Harden was anything but the explosive player we know today. He was more of a wallflower on the court, often standing in the corner, avoiding any dribbling or aggressive play. Looking back, he admitted he was “really lazy,” and it was clear to everyone, especially his coach Scott Pera.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!!!
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) January 5, 2025
JAMES HARDEN ↗️ DERRICK JONES JR. https://t.co/t0iSb9C9JH pic.twitter.com/wxVa0aTuke
It was evident that there was so much more potential waiting to be tapped into. So, Coach Pera came up with a quirky plan. He’d bribe Harden with hamburgers to encourage him to step up his game. This unconventional approach quickly turned things around for Harden. Pera challenged him to get to the free-throw line at least six times in every game, and for every successful trip, he’d earn a hamburger.
But if he fell short? Sprinting would be his fate. This unconventional strategy sparked a fire in Harden, pushing him to draw fouls and master the art of getting to the charity stripe. Fast forward to today, and we see that those early days had a significant impact. Harden has become one of the NBA’s most reliable free-throw shooters.
