Talk of “Skinny Harden,” in reference to the seemingly more slender physique of James Harden during the NBA’s extended COVID-19 hiatus, has dominated social media in recent months.
On Thursday, after his first practice since rejoining the Houston Rockets, the former MVP and eight-time NBA All-Star explained the focus of his workouts after the 2019-20 season was suspended in March.
In Harden’s first media session from the NBA “bubble” site near Orlando, where the season will restart later this month, he said:
For me, basketball is natural. I feel comfortable no matter what, even if I take a month or two off. The biggest thing for me is conditioning. It was mostly running, weight lifting, I did a little bit of yoga for flexibility. … And staying in the gym.
James Harden on what he did while he was away from the team when the season shut down: “Biggest thing for me is conditioning..It was just mostly conditioning, running, weight lifting. I did a little bit of yoga..and staying in the gym.” #Rockets pic.twitter.com/fFJCWqGCne
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) July 16, 2020
In late May, Harden and Houston-area athletic trainer Justin Allen told The Athletic‘s Kelly Iko about some of those intense workouts during the hiatus. Harden referred to it as “a lot of cardio work.”
“Everything we do at ALL-EN is to help in-game performance,” Allen told Iko. “It’s designed down to the way a player walks, which translates to the way he moves. Even the lifts in the weight room, the lifts are to mimic how a player plays, so it benefits him to have an advantage on his opponent.”
An @TheAthleticNBA exclusive:
The NBA hiatus caught everyone by surprise. James Harden wasn’t going to let the return do the same—whenever it would be.
Inside a high-intensity, week-long boot camp in Phoenix featuring yoga, plyometrics, and vomit.https://t.co/34vRaeN0Fu
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) May 22, 2020
Having seen the pictures of Harden on social media during the “Skinny Harden” craze, teammate Ben McLemore said Thursday that he wasn’t surprised by how ready Harden was for his first practice.
“Not at all,” McLemore told reporters after practice. “He’s one of those guys that loves to work. You could see throughout the social media pictures that he stayed in shape. It showed out here.”
Time will tell as to the game impact of Harden’s latest physique, with Houston’s 2019-20 season set to resume on Friday, July 31. But for the NBA’s scoring leader of three straight seasons, it’s a reason for even more optimism as he gets ready to pursue his first title later this summer.
“They ramped him up well before he got here,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said after Thursday’s initial practice, in an apparent reference to Harden’s trainers and his level of fitness. “He went through the full practice like everybody else. His wind was as good as anybody.”
“Right now, he’s full-tilt,” D’Antoni said. “He looks ready to go.”
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