James Harden says loyalty is overrated: “The whole quote-unquote loyalty thing, I think it’s overrated. This is a business at the end of the day.”
His career began with him making the finals on OKC and immediately getting sent to Houston for financial reasons. Of course he’s going to see things this way
Exactly what I was about to say. The league taught him early about how this works, and he learned the lesson well.
Also, he has taken less money in the past. It got him nothing.
Same with KD. The league moved the Sonics after his rookie season.
Darryl Morey is a liar
There it is
True but dont forget the nets offered him a 200+M extension for 4 yrs and he said no bc he didnt wanna play w kyrie anymore and darryl morey made him a promise to give him the 5 yr max the ff summer.
yes. front office LIES and works on behalf of the owners not the players.
I can’t blame him for not wanting to play with Kyrie anymore, especially after the fiasco that was Kyrie’s time in Brooklyn
And being betrayed by morey his close friend in phily
Daryl Morey is a liar
Let me say that again
The only thing that would’ve made the quote better is if he said it again in Chinese
Now I wanna get a Cavs #1 jersey with that as the name
Harden was good enough to have a statue built but we’re gonna remember him as an elite journeyman. Same with KD although he chose that.
Nah, harden will mostly be remembered as a rocket.
With an honorable mention to Cleveland, where he’ll win his first championship.
KD’s statue is gonna be hard, it has to be golden state but I feel like they will build the statue for Steph Klay Draymond and if a 4th is going to tag along its gonna be Iggy.
They’re gonna make Steph look like that Temu Steph dude
That is not how he will be remembered in Houston.
Harden is the second greatest rocket ever.
Also the fact that he took a pay cut to make Morey’s short term job easier in Philly with the understanding that they would reach an agreement on his extension, and at this point we all know what Daryl Morey is
Is he a truther?
drake and josh dot jpg
Right - loyalty starts with organizations. It’s something Devin Booker values because it’s something The Suns have valued with him.
Meanwhile, early on Paul George’s career, he watched Danny Granger (a player who gave the Pacers his prime while they had a rebuild) get traded when they were finally good..so it was never a value for him.
It’s up to organizations on how they want to be. I don’t think either is wrong, but I also don’t think either value set is wrong for a player.
its beyond that. people keep creating the illusion of loyalty, tim duncan was about to goto thet magic before doc messed up the meeting. Kobe had to pressure the lakers to be aggressive by threatening to leave bc for the ownership they make money as long as they have an entertaining product, not all of them care to maximize wins at the cost of profit. After lebron and heatles went to the finals 4 straight years, the owner still used tax savings on mike miller, When hakeem wanted to play more…they sent him to toronto. loyalty is a rare exception, not rule.
And the Thunder are in OKC because the league allowed the franchise to be ripped away from its original city/fanbase for financial reasons.
Bruh… the definition most fans use of a good/bad deal is one they underpays the player the most possible. No one says Zach Lavine is on the best deal in the NBA, but from the players’ perspective he is. I think loyalty is a thing, but it’s a two-way street and fans have to recognize these are real people.
yeah or currys cheap contracts before he went supernova.
which only happened because warriors were disloyal to Monta at the same time
disloyal to oakland, instantly jumped across the bridge for a few hundred bucks. got rid of HB and Klay.
Same thing but worse happened to KD when his team got relocated after one year but people still expected loyalty from him for some reason. This is a business, not a fairy tale. You maximise your chances for winning whenever you can.
NBA equivalent of childhood trauma
I mean the trade is how he got paid. Worked out pretty well for him even if he didn’t ask for it.
I mean he’s correct. Owners love “loyal” players who take below market contracts, or stay on a losing team, because it helps their bottom line.
Except when it works against him and he gets mad at Daryl Morey. Thats different of course.
True story. Every time a team/management trades or waives a player it’s an act of non-loyalty. Why should players/labor operate any differently?
The only “why” that’s seem acceptable is reputation post retirement. Luckily Harden will always be a Houston legend, so with that base covered get yourself another bag Beard
Harden was loyal to Houston tbh. He toughed it out there for 8.5 years smack dab in the middle of the Warriors dynasty. He could’ve easily tried to form a superteam somewhere else to compete with the Warriors, but for better or worse he stuck with Houston for almost a full decade.
This is a bit of revisionist history. When Harden got to Houston the Warriors hadn’t even made the playoffs in like 5 years. They didn’t begin the Kerr era until his 3rd year in Houston, and didn’t become nearly unbeatable until they got KD, which was his 5th year in Houston. Obviously the pre-KD Warriors were an amazing team, but I don’t think the Steph/Klay/Dray combo was considered unbeatable.
And then, literally the year after KD got to the Warriors, the Rockets got Chris Paul and came within a game of beating the “unbeatable” Warriors. A year later they were tied in a 2-2 series against them, and got to play them without KD for a game and a half.
Then the next year, the Rockets traded CP3 for Russ, and the Warriors won 15 games.
So why exactly wouldn’t Harden have been loyal? It’s not like he was in some bad situation, he was consistently on the 2nd best team in the West and they continuously made trades to stay competitive. The Warriors really only loomed over him from 2016-19, and even then his team came close to beating them.
Before the 2016-17 season, those Rockets teams were mostly made up of G League players at best. They were consistently the 2nd best team in the West because of Harden, they’d be winning the lottery every year without him
You can say that for the first year harden went to Houston (12-13) but from then on his rosters weren’t g leaguers. Had Dwight Howard for multiple years, josh smith, Corey brewer, Aaron brooks, chandler parsons, Trevor ariza, Jason Terry, and more.
Josh Smith and Corey Brewer were cast offs.
Aaron Brooks played like 30 games with Harden.
Trevor Ariza was only a good player next to John Wall or Harden when he could stand in the corner and shoot open 3s at a mediocre clip.
Chandler Parsons was good but they couldn’t pay him
Most of those players were out of the league a year or two after they left Houston. I can’t believe you actually typed out those names and thought yeah these are some good players lol.
Dwight played 41 games the season he took D-Mo, T Jones, Brewer, Ariza, Pat Bev to 56 wins. You replace Harden with anyone not named LeBron and they’d be in the lottery.
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If my team got sold to some dude that chased away the coach and GM that got us within a quarter of beating the KD Warriors and pushed the payroll under the cap right after I averaged 40 for a season, I’d dip too. I have no hard feelings for Jimbo over that decision. Those Rockets teams were special, but we let him down, not the other way around.
At least we got an enormous haul in return, could’ve been much worse.
Most of the time, when a player do what he can and go away without hard feelings nobody bats an eye
That 27 3s missed game was divine intervention to help the Warriors become a dynasty and I stand by that theory. Houston was Finals bound.
divine intervention
Those refs angels all the sudden.
I remember that part in the Bible where Michael waved off the most obvious 3 and 1 foul as a touch foul to save Noah from the flood
I know they won that game but the KD baseline out of bounds travel is the most insane Refball I’ve ever witnessed and still baffles me
Houston was gassed from playing defense and didn’t have the legs to shoot. There was some luck involved but the fatigue was legit. Gotta give the Warriors credit for outlasting them. Houston just wasn’t deep enough.
I definitely agree and give them credit for essentially winning the war of attrition, but missing 27 3s in a row is some unholy spell. xD
Not necessarily, we’ve seen teams trade and waive players because they’re trying to do right by that player, but I get your point.
Fair. But very, very, very much the exception. For every Sochan, there are 50 events that are not like that one. Or more.
NO did right by Jose Alvarado trading him to NY. Even the Knicks did right for Yabusele allowing him to get more minutes in CHI and become a free agent in the offseason
Goin to a bigger market don’t mean doin right. Jrue was betrayed by MKE despite goin to Boston
Who said anything about market size? Alvarado was born and raised in NY. He loves playing there. Yabu wasn’t getting minutes with the Knicks and now has a bigger role with the Bulls. Both are benefiting from being traded.
Shout Portland for helping make dreams come true
I bet if you ask Jrue he would say he loved his time In Boston and doesn’t feel bad being traded there. Also Alvarado went HOME not just a bigger market
I think it’s more common than you realize. Players get traded from bad teams to good teams all the time just because the player wants out
I think this is only the case if there is no negative impact on the team or franchise.
Teams are going to do what is best for them and players, in turn, should do what is best for them.
Not only that, but fans, more often than not, want what is best for the team, even if it comes at the cost of what is best for the player. The expectation, from a fan perspective, is almost always that the player sacrifice for the team and not the other way around. We are a “team” and the player should sacrifice for the “team”…as long as they are useful and I can’t find someone better, in which case I want someone else on the “team” and they should go somewhere else.
This isn’t to say that teams and players don’t fall into this false sense of loyalty, but generally speaking they understand it’s a business and fans struggle with it a lot more.
Yeah, it’s wild how fans expect loyalty, but they’d throw the guy out on the street if he misses a few threes. Even crazier when they get upset because a guy is playing for a rival. Like, dude, this man is much, much closer with the players on the other teams than he is with your dumb ass.
For real. After Luka got traded, I don’t know why people still care about loyalty
The problem is when players talk about wanting to be loyal to a team they’ve been on for a while. That plays well with their fans until they do leave. Then some will call them a hypocrite.
EDIT: Example - I don’t fault Dame for ring chasing but he did make fun of ring chasing in the past. So when he left the Blazers he got a lot of unhappy noise from fans about it.
That’s also the fans inability to understand context and nuance to situations.
People don’t change, and situations don’t become less desirable?
Why should players/labor operate any differently?
then you got player bemoaning that lebron wants to change teams all the time
The difference is you are acting within the frame of “I want what’s best for the team” then the team trading or waiving a player is acting in the best interests of that team.
Organizations simply don’t like it when a star wants out. They want to be the ones in control and trade. They use the media to turn the public against them.
It’s all pettiness at the end of the day. It’s inherently just an organization wanting to be the one to break up with someone, nobody likes it when they are dumped lol.
Every time a player asks for a trade or leaves a team it’s an act of non-loyalty. Why should teams operate any differently? Both sides, in most of the cases, look for their own best interest, idk why these discussions are even a thing.
James Harden’s career path has shown that this thinking is not a path to a championship or any kind of stable team situation. You’re just a mercenary that a lot of people don’t like working with.
This dude got traded off a contender just a few weeks before the season when he was 23 years old. Fresh off a finals appearance. Just so the billionaire owners who ran the team could save some money.
You think maybe that colors his perspective some? He’s right.
I agree. From the fan perspective it can suck, but the truth is that it’s not rec league soccer where you’ll always be loyal to your local team with your neighborhood friends, these teams are just corporations. A cool logo and cultural relevance just distorts that.
It goes a step further then that. Taking your point about soccer, in the uk there’s countless clubs(current count is somewhere between 5300 and 7000 ) from the premier league all the way down the pyramid to amateur level. And theres only 7 relocations, teams have moved to a different part of the same city but only 7 times has a team outright left.
Now compare that to a American franchise of any sport that threatens to move the franchise if the city doesnt pay for the new stadium.
Teams are franchises, they are never going to show you loyalty, you shouldn’t show them any.
And they give KD a hard time for being bc selfish lol
no, KD gets a hard time for joining the best team of all time and calling it the hardest road
KD wasn’t in the league to join the ‘96 bulls
He’s right.
Of course he’s right. Steph isn’t more loyal. He just hasn’t had a great reason to leave.
The only thing keeping players a little loyal are the bird rights contracts but even those can be traded. That being said the reason Steph has had a salary about 10% higher than the next highest paid player the last 4 seasons is he has stayed at the same spot and received the 8% annual raises pretty much every year since he signed a max. For these guys at the top another $5m per year isn’t enough to stay loyal.
True but I think Harden has always kind of been about business. His beard was all about branding (kind of like AD), is happy being a bachelor living at strip clubs and smartly used the Chinese market to grow his brand.
Guys like Harden, AD and Kawhi just seem like Shaq in how they’re money first. Kawhi probably came from the most team centric locker room possible and he wasn’t there for Pop’s Nat Geo videos lol
That’s the best examples you could come up with?
His beard hides his weak jaw.
honestly, same with KD…people hate him, but he delivered and saw that franchise surround him terribly. first letting go of a team going to the finals under 23 y/o while the owner made more than all the players combined.
then giving him no space and westbrook, just one inflexible way of playing. if you work for a company and they enjoy waht your generate but dont give profit, goto a company and learn some new ways
how fans demand players get less money to prove some “loyalty” and ignore (most of the time) the responsibility of their cheap owners is insane to me. how easily billionaires escape with any accountability because they can blame their GM, agents and players. The system is fucked, homie (quote of Brazilian movie “Tropa de Elite”: “o sistema é foda parceiro.”
I mean yeah same with Luka, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends moving places later.
The Luka trade should have eliminated all naivety left about loyalty, i will never hate on a player for leaving a team to do right by themselves anymore. Unless youre Steph atp, you are nothing but a commodity or asset to the private equity groups buying up all teams these days
shouldn’t have even taken that long to understand this
Not fair to all the team first propaganda
People follow teams (still) , though now moreso you’ll see more kids following players.
Ehh with the league becoming more worldwide ypu see a lot more fans supporting players over teams.
For example im from europe, cant really watch west coast games and have to stay up untill 5 am most nights to watch the east cost games.
I have no attachment to any city or team so I just support whatever team my favorite player is on. So i basically end up changing teams only when the guy gets traded or swaps teams or when I find a new favorite player. So far I’ve supported 3 teams in the last 13 years and I wouldnt even mind being called a bandwagon (even though it wouldnt be correct) if it werent for the fact I have not seen the team I support go as far as the conference finals.
Steph is not an exception. He has intrinsic value to the organization, so they don’t trade or release him. If he didn’t, they would.
Exactly. And the team has been good enough that he didn’t need to leave.
Players that are currently truly untouchable in order:
mitchell robinson erasure
Dwight Powell erasure
Joe Ingles erasure
I would slot Book in at #6
I mean would the Suns say no if Dallas called and said we want to win now, we’ll give you Flagg? I know they love the guy over there, but its business, and his value to the team would not be number 6 on the list, at least wouldn’t be more untouchable than some of these guys. Book is like 30 and will make 70-75 in 5 years I believe
Minnesota would guard the arena with rifles if anyone tried to take Ant
Does this mean the Warriors say no to a theoretical Wemby-for-Steph swap?
Tatum is also untouchable from this standpoint. Unless they really think he’s not going to come back 100%, which I haven’t heard any indication of.
Under NBA rules, PE may own only 20% of any individual franchise.
I mean, it was an entirely new ownership group. I get Nico was already there, but there WAS loyalty until the entire foundation changed 😅
And even Steph wouldn’t be Steph if Warriors abided by loyalty standards and kept Monta Ellis.
I think it was Skeets on No Dunks the other day said that Harden is fascinating because he’s one of the few players ever to openly treat teams how teams treat players. Teams view guys as assets and that’s how Harden views teams.
and i think it was lowe the other day who noted that harden is shaped by his experience getting traded very early on in his career - and he was traded away from a finals team where he thought he was one of the big three.
Skeets was on the nose with this take. The biggest key though is Harden has the clout to do this being one of the top players in the league. Mid to Bottom tier players cant do this
Business has always been about leverage. Harden (not for much longer) and only a small percentage of players have it
You mean Furkan Korkmaz didn’t have the pull for his trade demand from Philly?
Players are nothing but a contract on the balance sheet
After the Celtics traded IT, I stopped caring about players being loyal. He’s absolutely right.
100%. The man literally carried them all season. Then the playoff hit his sister passes away and he ends up with an injury, still plays through it all and then gets dumped to Cleveland as his reward. It was the right move but boy was that cold hearted
Gets dumped to Cleveland
Bro got traded to the 2nd best team in the league playing next to LeBron James. I love IT but let’s not act like the Celtics traded him to the Hornets.
Yea the thing is they dumped him when I’m sure he didn’t want to move. Just because they didn’t send him to hell doesn’t mean they didnt screw him over. It was a business first decision
It’s not about the location; it’s about the bag. IT earned a max or near max contract with his play, and at the time we didn’t know his hip was going to ruin him.
He got shipped to Cleveland for 10mil
We were never going to max him though, because as great and fun as he was we knew it wasnt sustainable because he was already underwater on defense and if he lost even half a step hed be out of the league, like we saw
I mean yeah, but purposely lying to a player about the severity of an injury so that he would continue to play worsening the injury, is pretty scummy
Yup. Ill never hold it against a player for leaving to get a bag. Franchises will trade your ass in a second if they think theres a better offer.
The issue is that loyalty comes at a huge monetary cost. You can’t have both at once. Duncan chose loyalty over money in 2012, and took an $11M pay cut over three years.
Thankfully it paid off, he won a chip in 2014 and got to retire on his own terms. Not everyone is that fortunate though.
You can be loyal, but you basically have to become subservient to your team’s business.
Different sport but when Arthur Blank decided to get rid of the best Falcon in franchise history (Matt Ryan) and go after a rapist.. that really changed my perspective.
Yes I always knew it was a business but damn that shit was ice cold.
I was crushed
100%. whenever someone mentions player loyalty i always think of when the Celtics got rid of IT the moment something better popped up despite all he did for them and all he’s been through. makes sense why they did it but really shows there’s no loyalty here.
It is rare but players professing loyalty can work out. Dame is getting an extra 14 million dollars this year entirely based on it.
How did Dame worked out? Mf wanted Miami because he wanted to win but Portland did what was best for them and sent him to Milwaukee. Dame won nothing there other than an NBA Cup (which no one cares), suffered an ACL and now is back to Portland after being waved + knowing he will retire without his desired ring.
I’d say pretty good, he had a better chance to win in Milwaukee I’d say and it just didn’t work out. Now he’s making an extra 14 million this year and getting paid two more years after that.
I’ve never seen an NBA more depressed than Dame in Milwaukee. Every week had a lukewarm quote showing he clearly did not want to go there.
I mean while it’s true that Milwaukee could have worked out, he was pretty clearly wanting to go to Miami, doing right by him probably would have been biting the bullet and sending him to Miami for whatever they could afford.
Not blaming Portland for not just doing that but he got shipped somewhere he didn’t want to go
Him publicly declaring he ONLY wanted to play for Miami tanked his trade value and Miami held back pieces due to this. Dame basically poisoned the waters by doing that and got what he deserved.
When you purposefully tank your trade value so the team you go to has to give up less pieces so it’s a better team, you’re screwing the team so it’s not unfair for the team to decide to do whats best for them. Also they still at least sent him to a contender.
That shit still hurts my heart
And we were rewarded with Kyrie claiming he wanted to extend. Instead he left and eventually stomped on Lucky’s face
They’ve shipped out people after having them play through injuries they shouldn’t have played through multiple times and not a whole lot of people really mention it. Isaiah Thomas wasn’t the first and he wasn’t the last.
Right after his family tragedy too right?
This is what being loyal to Morey does to a MF
I mean, he was a burgeoning star on a title contender and he was traded for financial reasons. I can see why his attitude towards nba loyalty is the way it is.
Even if he wasn’t traded, american sports are built on the premise that teams can do whatever they want with players and you can’t even say no, they can send you to Bumfuk nowhere without you agreeing to it, they can let go waive you at any time, how do people expect loyalty in sports like this lmao
It would be different it was other sports where this doesn’t happen where both parties have to agree to something but people that expect loyalty out of NBA players or any american sports are hilarious, the entire power is given to teams, there’s very few sports on earth that do this
At least in NBA contracts are mostly guaranteed - so you will get your money at least.
Something I haven’t really thought about in this context until now is Harden being traded by OKC like he was as such a young player.
I have to imagine that left an impression on him and how he thinks about team-player relations.
Of course, and they see examples every year where players are treated like nothing but assets from stars to role players. I mean we just watched what happened to Luka Doncic. 7-8 years in the league, only team he played for, built a great relationship with the team, city, fans, playing All-NBA first team level basketball since year 2, gets injured and plays through it, then brings them to the Finals after getting a proper team. Next year, he is injured, buys himself a new home, chilling, and out of nowhere they call the guy in the middle of the night and they are like “you are gone pal, and you are fat, see ya”, then send about 70 hitpieces about how he sucks, he is injured, fat, no work ethic, can’t play D, can’t win with him, and how getting AD will make them better. And the GM is acting like they traded Dinwiddie in his press talk, like “yeah we traded the guy whatever, good luck to him”, and not their potential franchise GOAT in the future
Loyalty in business is 100% over rated…
Business: we dont need your services anymore (fired)
Employee: but ive worked here for 20 years and gave my everything for this company
Business: we are not your family — get out
This is why I hate when businesses, big or small, say that all the employees are “family.” Like, no, we’re not. They’re just saying that to try to control everyone. But they do not miss you or even feel bad if they have to get rid of you. You’d think it would be hard for a family member to casually get rid of their own family.
Strongly agree. The best argument for player loyalty is just that it seems like a pain in the ass to uproot your life
i was thinking about that but i guess they have infinite money so just pay someone to box up their shit and im guessing the team finds them a place and a PJ for their stuff. i always forget these players dont live in the same world as many of us
As much as I like loyal players I can’t say the league hasn’t proved this perspective to be completely true
It is objectively true, people going on about loyalty are lying to themselves. And if a team is actually keeping their old franchise legend, its either because the player is not on a big contract, or the player is still good enough, or if the guy is still making them a lot of money through merchs, tickets, all that attention, viewership, etc. Like the Warriors keep Steph, but not because they are nice and loyal, its because he is still incredible, and he is still one of the most popular players in the league, making them hundreds of millions of dollars. If Steph just sucked now and no one really cared about him for some reason, wasn’t really popular, didn’t help them financially, they would send him away regardless of what he did for them, which I guess makes it impossible for him to be not popular anyway but still
Loyalty is weaponized so much in sports. Players can’t pick where they want to go without scrutiny.. they are expected to take discounts and pay cuts and other crazy things out of “loyalty”.. yet, the owners are the ones that should be held to that standard the most. Doing the best they can to remain loyal to the fans and the city they do business in.
I mean, of course he’s going to say this lol
His whole response is actually very well thought out and pretty mature, all things considered.
Of course he does the whole “I want to make my family financially secure” which comes off as tone deaf IMO, but the rest of the answer is totally reasonable
I think his answer is reasonable, I’m mainly joking about how he’s been on so many teams for the past several years
I mean, okc also decided to keep ibaka over him. theres experience behind his words
I’m team Harden 100% on this. It’s bad enough being a fan-you are born in a certain area, and you’re stuck with an owner or front office who are terrible, cheap, or whatever else. As a fan, you’re stuck with them.
As a star player though, you have a limited window of 5-12 years, yet your entire legacy is defined by the team’s success. If you’re giving 110% but the front office is giving 40% because they know that you will still sell tickets and make them money, how does the concept of loyalty make sense? If the player is deemed surplus to the team’s desires, they will move him without hesitation. No fans cry or complain about it- see IT in Boston, but the moment that a player wants to leave, he’s a diva, spoiled, etc
I’m no Harden fan but I can’t disagree with any of this.
You might be the 1st Philly fan I’ve seen say this. Sentiment usually ranges from general feel good to legit lovin the Beard.
It’s always the player that is expected to act loyal. Take less money for the team, sacrifice your role etc. Other than rare exceptions, the teams are NEVER expected to by loyal to guys. It’s always “just business.”
OKC shipped him off before his second contract to save money after going to the Finals. No surprise he wouldn’t be loyal to an employer. No one should.
Sounds like my job too bro.
Not only is he right but the whole nuance of what he’s saying isn’t captured in the quote. I’m sure his experience with Morey cemented in his heart the value of loyalty.
These bros ain’t loyal
Loyalty is overrated by the simple fact that even if a player is loyal to a franchinse or a city, if he isn’t good enough the team would trade them in a heartbeat. Hell, even if he is good enough sometimes there’s an idiot like Nico Harrison out there that could screw you.
There’s loyalty sometimes between the players and the franchise, but even then you need to be an all-time great most of the time for that to happen and it’s more that you’re so good that they don’t wanna trade you than trust or real loyalty.
Even Steph was once close to be traded and after the championships the owner of the team is clearly unsatisfied that Steph is the face of the dynasty and want more credits too.
I will never blame a player for chasing the bag.
Never understood why NBA fans are so hung up on loyalty when other leagues around the word players move around all the time and no one cares
Completely agree.
Not just in pro sports. Period.
Loyalty is bullshit. Loyalty is “I have lost all valid reasons for standing by you, but I will continue to anyway because loyalty”
If you are worth staying with, worth standing with/behind, people will do so. If you have to invoke “loyalty” to get people to stick with you, you fucking suck and deserve to be bailed on.
This is so true, can’t wait to see how he does in the playoffs to help the Cavs
The entire NBA is one big franchise, they’re all in league with each other.
Morey taught him that the hard way.
McCain can also relate.
“Loyalty” only goes one way. And it’s not yours.
Learned this back with Wade and how the Heat treated him when it was time to pay him. There is no loyalty
Harden is right.
Loyalty is a mirage. Just make the best decision for yourself. If that means sticking with your employer for 20 years, go ahead and pat yourself on the back and feel superior to those who aren’t loyal, but you’re lying to yourself.
On the other hand, if sticking with your employer for 20 years means you don’t get paid what you deserve and is overall a worse decision in every way than changing jobs (except for being loyal), then you’re dumb.
IMO, Loyalty should be two way street
People forget that kobe was ready to leave LA lol, players always do what’s in their best interest
He’s right and this applies to any business you work for. Loyalty absolutely means nothing to them and they have no problem kicking you to the curb despite your services
This is absolutely true, look at IT getting traded away from the Celtics.
People call Harden disloyal like the league isn’t a billion-dollar business. The league isn’t “loyal” to ANYone. Teams trade players the second it benefits them, but when a player makes a decision based on money or opportunity, suddenly it’s a character flaw. He’s not breaking some sacred code he’s just acknowledging what everyone already knows. Same reason people want jobs: the money. When an interviewer asks “why do you want this job?” Obviously it’s for the money but you just can’t say that outright. Props to him for saying it outright.
people dont all share the same values though. to some Loyalty is very important.
thinking the same thing about my job today. Fuck this place
This isn’t only just an NBA thing, certainly not just a Harden thing. The whole world now, corporations lay off employees all the time with no warning. All you can do is watch out for yourself and family. We as viewers get upset as fans, but if put yourself in similar situation, then yeah, I can’t hate on this.
my left ear enjoyed this
OKC trade gave him trust issues
Amen. Employees in any field should always remember that companies have no loyalty to them, and deserve none in return.
He’s totally right. The players are expected to be loyal to a team that will trade them the second they can squeeze some money or assets out of it, they’re expected to be loyal to a GM that will fuck them in contract negotiations, and they’re expected to be loyal to a fanbase that will turn on them if they lose games.
Loyalty in sports is stupid from all angles. Even fan loyalty is overrated. If you’re sick of your team being stuck in the bottom, just watch another team until your team starts to win again. Who gives a shit? This isn’t the army, you don’t get shot for desertion.
The writing was on the wall when he left Houston. We are a competitive team today because we were able to trade him for assets. Still cashing in on those too.
He’s not wrong.
He ain’t wrong
Sooo has Harden forgiven Morey for not being loyal and screwing him? After-all loyalty is overrated?
He’s absolutely right. The truth isn’t always comfortable
the NBA is just not a product were loyalty, no matter if it is team based or player based is in the focus.
This isn’t Europe. It is entertaining in it’s own right but loyalty was never part of it.
He’s not wrong. As a fan I want to have ‘my guys’ stay on my team certainly but the owners are all business. Look at Julius Randle on the Knicks… he took a fairly team friendly deal to let the team build a stronger group and they traded him. I can’t blame players for being mercenary about their contracts.
Amen. If you injured you gone unless you are a goat franchise player ie step Duncan etc….
truth
Do as much I am a “certified harden hater ^tm” I can’t fault him for this take. All these team always trying to pitch you on that whole family BS but you will get dropped at any moment.
He’s right
Yeah dont blame him, OKC dumped him
he is 100% correct. the players that want Loyalty are still making business decisions. The people that sign their big paychecks will trade him off as soon as his numbers fall off. There is NO LOYALTY among owners so why should players be loyal to anyone but teammates and family?
You don’t have to like the Beard or any other player, but them using their leverage when they have it isn’t wrong. They’re playing the game now, where they haven’t always been able to. Shout out LBJ for player empowerment.
Watch these players stop being loyal to their team…. And watch how fast ratings fall…. Smfkers
He gone
James ain’t wrong here.
Harden sacrificing his max bag years during Brooklyn Philly LAC is pretty underrated amongst the superstar level players
So tired of this dude, the “system” has a system failure in every elimination game on every team that he has ever played on, including OKC. He is emotionally crippled and his only chances of winning a ring is if he piggybacks his way on a winning team.
Another reason Harden’s name NEVER comes up in discussions about GOAT-hood…