James Harden explains his decision to return to the Clippers: 'I'm home'
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There’s no place like home and that’s a major reason why James Harden opted to return to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Over the summer, the Clippers opted to bring back the 10-time NBA All-Star for another two seasons for a reported $70 million deal. Lawrence Frank, the Clippers President of Basketball Operations, expressed his desire to bring back the Big 3 of Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George. The three future Hall Famers all grew up in the greater LA area and having three hometown starters going into a new arena seemed like something that could only be pulled off in Hollywood.
Leonard signed his contract extension in January as the front office continued to negotiate with Harden and George’s representatives. Despite George opting to go elsewhere, Harden said his decision to return was a no-brainer.
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Harden, 35, was born and raised in LA and graduated from Lakewood’s Artesia High School. He then played two seasons at Arizona State before declaring for the NBA Draft.
James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
"I’m home," Harden said on Clippers Media Day on Monday.
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"I don't plan on going anywhere else. I want to leave a legacy, especially here. I got an opportunity to be at home," the 2018 league MVP explained.
Other than being home, Harden dismissed the naysayers and believes in what the Clippers can accomplish this season.
"I've never missed the playoffs in my entire career, so I feel like our entire team, we got a lot to prove. You know, for me, like as a leader, there's been a lot of situations where teams where we've conquered [thought we weren’t] ‘good enough,’ and we made people believe in us. So, I feel like this is an opportunity," Harden added.