Paul Pierce dismisses James Harden’s wild championship declaration
Entering the 2025-26 NBA season, the LA Clippers looked like a potential contender in the Western Conference due to their offseason additions. The The Clippers jumped out of the gate a little at 3-5 to start the season, but they still have time to turn it around. And if they do, a former NBA star Paul Pierce had some interesting words about where James Harden would be watched of all time if he could win a championship for the Clippers.
As part of the Netflix series, ‘Starting Five’, which chronicles the 2024-25 season from the point of view of five NBA players, Paul Pierce admitted that James Harden will significantly improve his all-time status if he can bring the Clippers their first NBA championship.
“He’s really a rock star. He’s one of the most influential players we don’t talk about. Nobody wanted to be on Harden’s tape,” Pierce said. “If Harden is able to secure the chips for the Clippers, we’re going to have some crazy conversations about where he ranks all-time.”
For a team that has never been to the NBA Finals, simply getting the Clippers to that point could change the perception of Harden, let alone actually win a title. But as their early record shows, the Clippers have some work to do before they can get back into the prospect conversation.
Harden appeared in seven of the Clippers’ eight games to this point, at just over 33 minutes per game. He averaged 23.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.3 steals on 47.1 percent shooting from the field, 41.7 percent from the three-point line and 93.3 percent from the free throw line.
The third overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Harden is now in his 17th season in the NBA. Last year, Harden was selected for his 11th NBA All-Star appearance.
2025-11-08 23:57:00
