The James Harden-Giannis Antetokounmpo beef is a well-known story around the NBA. These two players have gone at it for quite some time now, starring in very curious moments over the years.
Ever since Giannis entered the league, he seemed to have some rift with James, starting the rivalry we all know now. Things took a different level last year when The Beard criticized The Greek Freak’s game, calling it rudimentary since he only runs and dunks the ball.
After Giannis joked, selecting Kemba Walker over Harden for his All-Star Team, saying he wanted somebody who passes the ball, the then Houston Rockets player took offense to that, sending a big message to the 2x NBA MVP (5:52).
“I wish I could be 7-feet, run and just dunk. That takes no skill at all,” Harden said. “I gotta actually learn how to play basketball and how to have skill. I’ll take that any day.”
This was probably the hottest moment of this rivalry, which continued this year. Although Harden didn’t play at the best level due to a hamstring injury, he faced Antetokounmpo in the second round of the 2021 playoff.
Giannis won the series in seven games before beating the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns on his way to the championship. It seems like having no skills helped Antetokounmpo, while Harden is still looking to win that ring.
Next year is expected to be better for the Brooklyn Nets, as they’ll have Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant all healthy to compete for the title and dethrone the Greek Freak and his Bucks.
