Houston Rockets guard James Harden isn’t lacking in the confidence department. The current no. 1 MVP candidate believes that he’s better than LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, and any other player you care to name. When asked if he felt that he was the world’s best player, Harden told Sean Gregory of TIME Magazine:
For sure. I feel like I’m solid in everything: IQ, studying the game, I can score the basketball, make my teammates better. There are not a lot of guys that have all those characteristics in one. They might be way more athletic, can shoot the ball way better. But everything solid in one human body?
You can ask all those top guys who the best player is, of course they are going to say themselves. Because as a basketball player you’re confident in your craft. It’s not taking shots at anybody. It’s a confidence.
While most fans would say that LeBron James is the best player in the world, there’s no question that Harden is in the discussion. Like Harden said, every elite player should and does think that he is the world’s best player. That level of confidence is essential to being a top-tier player.
Harden currently leads the NBA in assists per game (11.3) while also ranking third in points per game (29.2), behind Russell Westbrook (31.1) and Isaiah Thomas (29.9). Harden also recently became the first player in NBA history to record multiple 50-point triple-doubles in the same season.
Harden isn’t alone in believing that he’s the best; last month, Giannis Antetokounmpo said that Harden is “the best player in the league.”
