James Harden is living right these days, what with the Rockets adding Chris Paul and becoming an even stronger challenge to the Warriors in the Western Conference and him getting a record-breaking contract extension to keep him in Houston through the 2022-23 season.
Over the past few years, Harden’s play and consistent growth into one of the league’s premier players and the runner-up in the MVP race has endeared him to Houston fans, but his gesture of giving $1 million to Hurricane Harvey relief on Saturday only further connected him with the fans and community in Houston.
Harden’s extension will keep him with the Rockets through his age 33 season, meaning his entire prime will be spent in Houston. That’s great for the Rockets, but Harden has even bigger hopes for making Houston his home, not just for six more seasons, but for the rest of his career as an NBA player, as he promised to a fan on Twitter that asked him to never leave.
Promise I won't. #Rocket4Life
— James Harden (@JHarden13) September 2, 2017
There’s no reason to believe Harden doesn’t mean this and have full intentions of following through, but the decision will likely not be completely in his hands when free agency rolls around in 2023. We’ve seen in the past that the business of basketball often gets in the way of the sentimentality of players and fans. There’s no way to know where the Rockets will be as a franchise in 2023. They might be heading into a rebuild, and a soon to be 34-year-old like Harden, likely still with one more large contract left in him, may not be part of their plans.
It’s rare to see a player stick with a team for the majority of their career anymore. Whether through their own ambitions of winning or getting paid, or their team’s hopes of moving in a different direction or not wanting to pay up.
Harden will be the face of the Rockets for at least six more seasons and his recent donation to Harvey relief proves he’s committed to the city. Hopefully he can get his wish and fulfill this Twitter promise that he quite likely intends on keeping, but the decision may end up being out of his control.
