VIDEO: James Harden Responds to Giannis Antetokounmpo's Comments From NBA All-Star Draft
By Dylan McCaffrey
There's been a bit of time since we've had a real juicy NBA beef. This one between James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo is starting to heat up, though, and we ought to let them eat. And in the latest development between the two, Harden sat down for an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols to respond to the Greek Freak's suggestion that he's a ball hog.
James Harden addresses the comments Giannis made during the All-Star draft about assists: "I average more assists him than him, I think....I don't see what the joke is."
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) February 28, 2020
Later: "But I wish I could just run and be 7 feet and just dunk." https://t.co/vRKMXpr3Wp pic.twitter.com/ecOzFoDsiQ
Harden saying Giannis doesn't "actually" know how to play basketball? That his style of play mrely requires physical gifts as opposed to proper skill? This is news to just about everyone in the NBA, who have had no answer for the reigning MVP's absurdly athletic style of play.
If you missed the original remark that started it all, don't worry. The internet is forever.
Giannis has got jokes ? #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/9m7cguXTMJ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 7, 2020
To be fair, Charles Barkley instigated this entire beef, not Giannis. For that, we say thank you to the Chuckster. But Antetokounmpo did lean in, and made even more comments about Harden's defense after the game.
To fact check this whole mess, Harden is in fact averaging more 2.3 more assists than Kemba Walker, Giannis' preferred pick for the All-Star Game, with 7.3 per contest. Of course, he's confident he'll win a championship to validate his career and shut the haters down, and it's going to be hard to deny him.
Harden has been the most criticized player in the NBA; his knack for drawing sneaky fouls, his enigmatic stepback shot creation methods, and his occasionally poor performances in the playoffs open him up to criticism. But Giannis is content to nudge things a step further.
James Harden against The Warriors in the Playoffs pic.twitter.com/CiS3csFvHv
— jordan2000 (@jordan200019) February 25, 2020
March 25. That's the next time Harden and the Houston Rockets will face off against Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The last time these teams played one another, The Bucks took the win with the help of Antetokounmpo's 30-point triple-double.
As fate would have it, Harden did have 14 assist in that one.
When they do meet, let's hope we see Harden try to go for 20 assists while Giannis drops 30 points without dunking once. It's all an NBA fan could ever want.