‘I never doubted it’: James Harden returns to All-Star level
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OAKLAND — James Harden was happy to be back — but maybe not in this building in these back hallways.
Walking through the guts of the former Oracle Arena after his All-Star practice concluded, it was easy to think about the multiple playoff series that ended when his teams couldn’t get past Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
“I don’t like this place,” he said with a laugh.
Yet Saturday morning in Oakland was just a singular blip on Harden’s All-Star experience, one this year that signifies his return to being celebrated alongside the NBA’s best.
Harden will play in his 11th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, but it’ll be his first since 2022 and first as a Clipper.
“I never doubted it,” Harden told The Times. “… It was me just, you know, finally being healthy and getting back to my zone. Getting back to who I am and here I am.”
It’s been quite a season for Dalton Knecht, but despite being part of a rescinded Lakers trade to Charlotte, the rookie is excited to be at the NBA All-Star Game.
Ahead of Saturday night’s All-Star festivities, players often spoke about the roads they had to travel to make it to this game. For Harden, it was getting healthy. For his teammate and three-point contestant, Norman Powell, it was reinventing himself as a shooter, going from a 28.5% three-point mark in his third year in the league to 42.5% over his time with the Clippers.
“Honestly, I’m just taking it all in in stride,” Powell told The Times. “Last time I was even close to an All-Star event was in Toronto [in 2016 as a member of the Raptors]. Anytime there’s been a break. I’ve been going somewhere. But honestly, just everything to me is like wide eyes — a little kid just trying to understand how it all works.”
Powell was a little happier than Harden to be back inside the former Oracle Arena. He and Indiana All-Star Pascal Siakam were members of the Raptors team that beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals in the last NBA game played in the building.
“It was amazing,” Siakam said. “Great memories in here. I love this building.”
For Harden, he’s been a constant alongside Powell in leading the Clippers into the playoff hunt while the team allowed Kawhi Leonard to get healthy. Harden is averaging 21.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists this season.
“The work and the mindset never changed,” Harden said. “It was just the fact that I wasn’t healthy. So I’m just happy that I’m back here. And even like when I was making it, I never took it for granted. I always embrace it.”
More reaction to the Lakers’ Doncic deal
Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the man who has helped knock the Lakers out of back-to-back postseasons, said it’s weird not having Luka Doncic at the All-Star Game because “we always have a good night before the game.”
In the weeks since the Lakers swapped Anthony Davis and Max Christie for Doncic as the main pieces in a three-team deal, players around the league have reacted with open shock.
“Obviously, everyone thought the trade was fake. Everyone did,” Memphis forward Jaren Jackson Jr. said. “I just was double checking to make sure it was real, checking the accounts, stuff like that. Especially if you have group chats, like it’s getting sent in there. …
“It’s definitely too early to tell, sample size, but it’s two great players getting traded for each other. It’s very rare.”
Wembanyama says he’s ready to make All-Star competitive
San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama will make his All-Star Game debut on Sunday and vowed that he would do his part to ensure the game is more competitive than in years past.
“That’s the goal,” he said. “The goal is not to chill, for sure.”
Wembanyama’s competitiveness is an “innate” part of who he is, he said. And playing with the league’s great players and potentially against a team of legends such as Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant doesn’t change that.
“I’m not here to make friends,” he said. “I know not everybody thinks like that, but what’s for sure is I’m trying to — I have some questions for some of the greats, the OGs, but I’m definitely not here to make friends.”
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