One of the most iconic traits that some NBA fans will instantly associate with James Harden is his larger-than-life beard. Although he might just be at the back end of his career, Harden can be considered one of the most offensively talented players in the modern NBA.
Harden started his NBA career with the OKC Thunder and then moved on to the Houston Rockets where he spent most of his prime years. Finally, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets and then the Philadelphia 76ers since he felt the desire to win an NBA championship.
Even fans who have been following the league for decades might struggle to remember a single point in time when Harden didn’t have a beard. This is certainly an intriguing question. After all, would there have been a point in time when he didn’t possess a beard? Let us take a closer look and find out.
James Harden’s iconic beard has even earned him a nickname
It turns out that Harden’s beard has impressed the public enough for it to be considered his nickname. The 76ers star has a nickname “The Beard” and seems to have carried it since his time with the Rockets, if not further in the past. Many of his iconic moments and highlights over the years have fans and commentators addressing him by this unique nickname.
If we take a closer look at the pictures of James Harden over the years, he most certainly had a beard during his time with the Rockets and even had a slightly shorter one during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that drafted him.
If we look further back, James had very little hair on his face during his time in college. To those who do not know, Harden attended college at Arizona State before declaring for the NBA in the 2009 NBA Draft. We have to go all the way back to his high school days with Artesia high school in California.
He has also revealed that his time in high school was the last time he was cleanly shaved. Ever since his college days, he maintained a small beard and its length has only increased as his years in the NBA have gone on.