Stars who make an All-NBA team have proven their ability to dominate and win consistently. It is difficult to crack the list, but overall, this is the league's way of showing who was best that season.
Of course, there are levels to All-NBA selections, but just moments ago, the former MVP James Harden claimed his spot on the 2024-25 third team. His name stood next to Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Haliburton, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jalen Williams.
Furthermore, Harden's All-NBA selection is the eighth of his hall-of-fame caliber career. He earned this honor and now adds it to eleven All-Star appearances, three scoring titles, and two assist titles.
However, to get to this point, Harden went through a massive saga with the Philadelphia 76ers. At the time, he was receiving significant, negative criticism and was being bashed by crowds of 76er fans for how his era unfolded.
Rumors were being spread, changes in narrative occurred, and at the very end, Harden was traded to his team of choice: the LA Clippers.
On October 31, 2023, the 76ers shipped him away on Halloween to Los Angeles for Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, KJ Martin, and draft capital. The Clippers were also given P.J. Tucker, Filip Petrusev.
Over a year after the late-night blockbuster trade, it is easy to see who got the last laugh between Harden and the Daryl Morey-managed 76ers organization.
James Harden added an All-NBA selection to his LA Clippers' resume to prove to Philadelphia he was right all along
James Harden is known to have an optimistic attitude, yet with the Philadelphia 76ers, he received nothing but pessimistic opinions from the NBA community. This was also developed from how his past tenures with previous teams had ended.
Nonetheless, Harden joined the Clippers on another clean slate, but this time, he remained silent and focused on team winning. He did not have the greatest first year in LA, but the veteran guard was calm all along, as he knew what would happen if Paul George did not resign.
Harden won the Clippers 50 games in his second season and added All-Star and All-NBA selections. His 79 games played in 2024-25 are the epitome of a successful regular season. On the flip side, the 76ers were the third-worst team in the Eastern Conference, winning just 24 out of 82 games.
This is embarrassing from Philadelphia's point of view, and it shows how the tables have really turned.