It’s James Harden, the 35-year-old NBA star, returning to Los Angeles. He’s grateful to be coming back for his 16th season with the Clippers! It’s a situation that will provide him the best opportunity to pursue a championship with this transition. It gives him the chance to spend more time with family and expand his philanthropic impact through his foundation, Impact13. Harden’s path to the pros began at 10 years old when he first played organized basketball at a community center in neighboring Watts. Now, he heads home, full of the ideas needed to help him make a truly lasting impact both on and off the court.
Harden’s mother, who fought cancer while he was with the Philadelphia 76ers, lives in Los Angeles. His close relationship with family gives him great motivation and a feeling of security. He was thankful to have had the opportunity to spend more time with his mother and those around her. Now that he’s back in Los Angeles, getting in touch with them has been a lot easier. Reflecting on this new chapter, Harden stated,
“What better chance than now? I can do everything [here]. The last couple years, Houston was basically where I called home. But just being on the East Coast in Brooklyn and Philly, I’m making calls from a distance. With my presence now being here, showing face, it means way more.”
As a player who has donned jerseys for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and now the Clippers, Harden is keenly aware of the weight of his legacy. This is why he thinks with home as his true court, he’ll have the rare chance to maximize his imprint on the NBA. “I’m so comfortable in my world and what I’m supposed to be doing out there,” he remarked.
Harden’s unique basketball journey has been focused on more than just winning on the court. He started his foundation in 2021. Since then, it has already provided critical technical assistance in cities such as Beijing, China, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Houston. The foundation has provided school supplies to the Los Angeles Unified School District, demonstrating Harden’s commitment to supporting local youth.
“My foundation, the impact that I have while still playing basketball at a high level is very, very important,” he noted. Harden aims to ensure that children in his community feel the love and support he lacked during his own upbringing.
“My upbringing gives me the extra motivation to go out there and overly do what I’ve been doing,” he explained. “Just my presence off the court, [I want to] make sure the kids over here are feeling the same love that I never really got when I was a kid.”
Aside from his giving back to the community, James Harden is still worried about what happens on the floor. The talent around him included plenty of wizards, so he had the misfortune to discover their powers. We had an opportunity to be the last ones left, which in the real world sounds great but is hard to execute on. We focus on ourselves. It starts with the way that we’re playing right now,” he said.
Harden’s experience — as a player, and man — helped him strike the unique balance on and off the court. At some point, the years go by and family means more than anything. “As you get older, things started to happen to your family,” he said. He emphasized the need to cherish those relationships: “So, as you get older, you start realizing what’s important and what things you got to hold on to and cherish.”
Whatever long-term plan he has for his career, at this moment in time, Harden feels settled with where things are both in the league and in life. “Literally, my life is perfect. God gave me the perfect life. He’s blessed me,” he expressed. Even further, though, his focus continues to be on using his platform to drive impact— not just for himself, but for those around and below him.
Harden’s travels back home are steeped in their own sentimentality and mission. He began playing basketball at an early age in Watts. These days, one of his own installations is serving as a basketball goal alternative—his daughter Delilah had a hoop put in their garage to keep her dad from getting into trouble! Most recently, he spent a week mentoring young boys from South Los Angeles. Beyond that, he brought them postgame passes right outside the visiting locker room at Chase Center, an incredible display of mentorship commitment.
As James Harden enters this new chapter with the Clippers, his desire to create a lasting impact on the court and in his community is unparalleled.
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