Clippers' James Harden reacts to Kevin Durant's comments after 3-point record

11/18/2024 09:13 AM

Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden made history on Sunday night in the team’s win over the Utah Jazz. Harden made his 2,974th career three-pointer, passing NBA legend Ray Allen for second place on the NBA’s All-Time three-pointers made list. The feat was so incredible, even Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant had to chime in.

With 6:10 left in the first quarter, Harden stepped back deep in the right wing and drilled a three-pointer to officially give him the second-place spot on the all-time list.

Clippers’ James Harden reacts to Kevin Durant’s comments about him

Suns star Kevin Durant has been out with a strained calf, but he’s still paid attention to what’s going on around the NBA. The Clippers worked to get a video reaction from Durant in preparation for Harden’s accomplishment. Along with Durant’s response is another clip of James Harden’s first career three-pointer from his rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The assist on the first triple came from none other than Durant.

“Congrats JH on reaching an amazing accomplishment,” Durant said in a video posted by the LA Clippers social media account. “All the work that you put in has paid off. You inspire so many people around the world with how you play. Been a great teammate, a great friend. I love you brother. keep grinding.”

"Congrats, JH!" -Kevin Durant

A message from KD, who assisted the first three of James Harden's career, after he became #2 on the NBA's all-time list! pic.twitter.com/MILvLsxZrr

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 18, 2024

Harden finished with 20 points, six rebounds, 11 assists, two steals, two blocks, and zero turnovers in the Clippers’ 116-105 victory over the Utah Jazz. He took to the podium shortly after the buzzer, expressing his emotions following the feat.

“It’s an unbelievable accomplishment,” James Harden said after the win. “Just a testament to the amount of work that I’ve been putting in. As I get older and just chip away at an unbelievable career, start to accomplish things like that. So I don’t ever want to take it for granted. I just want to give motivation to the youth and every other person that’s chasing a dream to play professional basketball or whatever it is. So it’s an honor.”

Harden was not informed of Kevin Durant’s comments, but once he was, had nothing but appreciation for him and Russell Westbrook for both the partnership that they had and the foundation that was built from the time Harden came into the league.

“[I think about] longevity man. They set the blueprint. When I got there, they already had the blueprint of how to work, how to be a professional in this league, and so all I did was just fall right in line, you know what I mean? And to where it’s like every single day, you work your butt off, you listen to the coaches and you figure out how to play well every single night. And those three years really helped me in my NBA career because it just gave me a ground base to where I can go off of.”

“And from that point on, I was so comfortable and confident in myself, to when I got traded to Houston, I just knew I was going to be successful, you know what I mean? I learned how to work at a young age. So shout out to KD, shout out to Russ and an entire Oklahoma City organization for that ground building that they gave me.”

James Harden won Sixth Man of the Year in the 2011-12 season, averaging 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steals on 49.1 percent shooting. He was traded to the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2013, which kickstarted the superstardom. In his first season as a Rocket, Harden bumped his averages to 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.

Since separating, all three of Harden, Durant, and Westbrook have gone on to become MVPs. That can only lead fans to wonder what could’ve been if the Thunder just kept them together and let them grow.

Harden finished with two three-pointers on the night, giving him a grand total of 2,975 triples. Entering Monday night’s contest against the Golden State Warriors, Harden sits 807 three-pointers behind Stephen Curry’s all-time record of 3,782 (and counting).

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