On multiple occasions over the past month, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has seemed to throw a verbal jab at Houston Rockets guard James Harden. Antetokounmpo and Harden are the NBA’s last two MVPs, and they were first and second in voting last season.
During a new interview published Friday, Harden fired back.
In comments leading up to and immediately following the league’s 2020 All-Star Game, Antetokounmpo had taken shots at Harden over his defense and his willingness to pass to teammates.
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ESPN’s Rachel Nichols asked Harden about some of those comments, and the 2018 MVP didn’t hold back in his response.
“You do have people talking about some of the stereotypes that have blown up around you,” Nichols said. “Charles Barkley, when they had the All-Star draft, was saying ‘Oh, no one wants to take James Harden, he’s a dribbler.’ Giannis makes a joke on the air about I want to take someone who can pass, I’m taking Kemba Walker instead of James Harden.”
Harden’s response:
Harden: I average more assists than him, I think.
Nichols: You rank 10th in assists going into the All-Star break, and Kemba ranked 36th in assists.
Harden: I don’t see what the joke is. But I didn’t even see it. I don’t pay attention to stuff like that. I just know that none of them can mess with me. [laughs]
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
From there, Harden’s criticism became even more direct in an apparent jab at the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo’s playing style.
“Daryl Morey, your general manager, had a great line to kind of address all of that,” Nichols said as the conversation continued. “He said, ‘Being different doesn’t really get appreciated until it works.'”
Harden replied:
Harden: Yeah, when I’m done. When it’s all said and done, they’ll appreciate it more. But I wish I could just be 7-feet and run and just dunk. That takes no skill at all. [laughs] I’ve got to actually learn how to play basketball and have skill. I’ll take that any day.
Nichols: Do you think that in the end, a title is going to give you the respect that you deserve?
Harden: Yeah, it is. And I will get it.
Last offseason, in comments that may have rankled Antetokounmpo and/or those around him, Harden continually referred to the role of media narratives in the annual MVP selection process. Some around the league viewed that as an attempt to undermine Antetokounmpo’s win.
Harden and Antetokounmpo are less than a month away from their next on-court meeting, with the Rockets visiting Milwaukee for a game on March 25. Now that both stars have seemingly fired their shots, expect the storyline of an apparent rivalry between the last two MVPs to ramp up even more as that showdown approaches.
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