A prod at James Harden by Giannis Antetokounmpo during the NBA All-Star draft has led to a fiery response from the Houston Rockets’ superstar. Antetokounmpo cracked a joke at Harden’s expense when he said he was considering selecting either Kemba Walker or Trae Young, even with Harden still on the board. After Charles Barkley referred to Harden as “the dribbler,” Antetokounmpo responded by saying he wasn’t going to select the former MVP because he “wants somebody that’s gonna pass the ball.”
"I want someone that's gonna pass the ball…"
Giannis, on taking Kemba Walker over James Harden 😂 https://t.co/0sveuFQ5K6
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) February 7, 2020
It was all in good fun, even if plenty of folks rightly pointed out that Harden is a prolific passer. It took a few weeks, but Harden has finally responded in an interview with Rachel Nichols of ESPN. Harden claimed that he didn’t see Antetokounmpo’s comments and he doesn’t pay attention to these sorts of things, but that he also isn’t sure what the joke is in all of this.
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."
Later: "But I wish I could just run and be 7 feet and just dunk." https://t.co/vRKMXpr3Wp pic.twitter.com/ecOzFoDsiQ
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) February 28, 2020
“I average more assists than [Walker], I think,” Harden said, with Nichols confirming that he was ahead of Walker on the assists charts heading into the break. “I don’t see what the joke is.”
Harden went on to talk about how he doesn’t believe that what he does on the court will be fully appreciated until his career ends, and then, he turned his attention to Antetokounmpo, taking a swipe at the reigning MVP.
“I wish I could just run and … seven feet and run and just dunk,” Harden said. “That takes no skill at all. I gotta actually learn how to play basketball and how to have skill.”
Harden always has always been willing to go at those who use his game as a punchline, but saying Antetokounmpo’s game takes “no skill at all” is certainly something that will lead to people raising their eyebrows. The good news is that the two will be able to settle this on the court in a few weeks, as the Bucks will host the Rockets on March 25. And who knows? Maybe that won’t be the final time we see these two squads with NBA title aspirations squaring off this year.
