The marriage between James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets was obviously not a good one. Harden didn’t last long with the team and was eventually traded to the Philadephia 76ers.
Now, Harden didn’t hold back any punches when it come to how he felt about the Nets in a recent interview with Fox Sports.
Harden said his main issue with his former team is there was zero structure.
“There was no structure,” said Harden of his time in Brooklyn. “Even superstars, they need structure. That’s what allows us to be the best players and leaders for our respective organizations.”
He’s not wrong. The Nets tried to build their team around him, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving but they were barely on the floor together at the same time during his time. His time in Brooklyn was also marked by injuries and off-the-court issues with his teammates.
Harden also resents fans calling him a “quitter” when he wanted out of Brooklyn, adding that he felt as though no one said that about Durant when he wanted to leave.
“I just feel like, internally, things weren’t what I expected,” he said, “I knew people were going to talk and say, ‘You quit’ and all that stuff, but then the following summer, the other superstar there wanted to leave. So it’s like, am I still the quitter?”
Maybe the most shocking thing that Harden said in this interview was that he changed the game of basketball.
“I’m one of the people that changed the game of basketball. Honestly, the only thing that I’m missing is a championship.”
‘Maybe with the 76ers, he’ll finally get that ring.
About Stacey Mickles
Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.