Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden might not be the scoring machine he was earlier on in his pro tenure with the Houston Rockets, but he’s still been a highly impactful offensive player this season. He’s averaging 22.6 points and 8.7 assists per contest in the 2024-25 campaign and earned an All-Star nod this season for the first time with Los Angeles.
Harden’s former teammate on the Rockets Patrick Beverley factored in Harden’s longevity as he dropped a controversial take regarding him and Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade. Beverley said that he would take Harden over Wade.
“I seen the comparison with James Harden and D-Wade,” Beverley said. “While I’m taking James Harden over D-Wade, it’s only because longevity.”
Wade played 16 seasons in the league, and Harden is currently in his 16th NBA season. While a majority of Harden’s days in the NBA are certainly already behind him, the 35-year-old is playing at a level where he could still have multiple solid seasons left.
It’s worth noting that Harden has 11 All-Star nods to his name in his 16th season, while Wade made 13 All-Star appearances in a pro career that spanned the same number of seasons.
But the debate is interesting, especially because Harden has three scoring titles and one league MVP award. Wade never won a league MVP award, but he did capture a scoring title.
One area of their resumes where Wade has the clear edge over Harden is team success. Wade helped the Heat win three NBA titles and was one of the team’s top players in every one of those title runs. Harden, on the other hand, has yet to win a title in the league and hasn’t played in an NBA Finals since all the way back in 2012, when he was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ironically, it was Wade’s Heat who beat Harden’s Thunder in 2012 for the championship.
But it’s worth noting that Harden has knocked on the door of another NBA Finals appearance since then. Harden’s Rockets lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the 2018 Western Conference Finals. The Rockets held a lead in halftime of that deciding Game 7, but the wheels fell off for Houston in the second half of the contest.