James Harden gets roasted for his noticeable weight gain toward the end of his time with the Houston Rockets
fat suit Harden is my favorite conspiracy theory
Fat suit + CP3 making fun of his manboobs is nba meme HoF
And Skip Bayless believing the manboobs incident and discussing it on TV.
What a fuckin time to be alive dude. That shit was hilarious
As opposed to a pre-taped dude
the fat suit conspiracy theory will forever be peak NBA lore
More peak than the frozen envelop?
More peak than secret suspension to go play baseball?
I feel that’s just disrespectful tbh. People seriously thought the murder of his father wouldn’t impact MJ?
Absolutely. The rigged lottery stuff is pretty corny. Harden does seem to have worn something to appear more corpulent. That’s so much funnier. The lottery stuff edges more into tinfoil.
If he actually did this he vaults up to my top 5 favourite players ever
It’s not a conspiracy
while most the time it was just the rib guard he always wears
wait was it sudden or gradual over seasons
Very sudden lol
the fat suit might honestly be the funniest shit a nba player has ever done to get out of a situation
Technically correct because ain’t shit funny about Vince Carter assaulting his coach to force a trade out of Toronto
This is like interrupting a conversation about practical jokes to talk about your father being a domestic abuser
Lol 100 percent, just interjected with his own trauma
Witness him. Commiserate with him. This man has suffered deeply.
I grieve different
There used to be an SNL character named Debbie Downer that did exactly this, lol.
Its official… I can’t have children.
Meow, meow…
And it broke the cast, every time.
I just laughed so hard man ty for the laugh on this Wednesday
Sam Mitchell still loves talking trash…
That’s u/rogersimon10’s bit anyway. Or at least it used to be, until his father gave him one final jumper cable beating.
when Robert Horry was on the Suns, he threw a towel in Danny Ainge’s face on the bench and they decided to punish him by giving him away to the Lakers a couple days later..
Him throwing that towel has to be one of the all time great things a guy has ever done to further their career.
Danny Ainge has one of the most unique careers of all sports figures. Pro baseball player, NBA champ as a player and exec, etc.
Funny story about his coaching stint with the suns, he resigned and said it was for family reasons.
It was pretty open secret all over Phoenix that he was banging all sorts of women on the road and his wife found out and told him he had to quit or she was gonna divorce him
I mean that still sounds like family reasons lol.
“I’m doing this because otherwise I’ll lose my family”
No wonder he’s in Utah now!
he was a winning player and found himself playing a couple of finals with the celtics, blazers and suns
but he did play for the kings….sooo…..
I met Horry a couple years back and asked him “on a scale of 1 to 10, how good did it feel to throw that towel in Danny Ainge’s face?” he said “I need a number bigger than 10”
It’s gotta be one of the great memories of his life.
Get to publicly embarrass the coach you can’t stand, get “punished” by getting sent to LA to go threepeat with Shaq and Kobe.
Most times when you do something like that, there’s a price to pay, he got a reward.
No one even viewed him negatively or held it against him, because Ainge wasn’t exactly well-liked, Horry had a good reputation already, and knew Horry was dealing with family issues with his family.
Was that considered funny until the fat suit saga
Out of all the other scenarios involving players, why just randomly throw this one out lmaooo. In the last 10 years, I’m sure it’s a better one.
First one that came to mind 😅
I guess Barkley eating his way out of Philly is funny but it’s not as funny without video of like, offseason Chuck doing his work to get to Phoenix
Lol Ben Simmons just stopped talking to his team. Cut off all communication and refused to show at training camp
Kawhi initially did the same. Went to NY and ducked off. Never came back to SA and forced a trade to Toronto. You’re a Raps fan. This should’ve been the #1 😅
He’s a Raptors fan so Vince Carter being the first thing that comes to mind would make a lot of sense. Especially if Vince Carter was his favorite player at some point and he didn’t appreciate VC15 forcing his way out.
I loved it as it made him so much easier to watch.
I took his comment as satire, like you, btw. I grew up a huge Carter fan so I get it.
Edit
TLDR: Simmons got a lot of criticism for how he handled the the Sixers exit and that he would cost himself his money. I’ve always felt that his physical and mental health were not good and that his method of getting off the team while getting paid was probably successful.
The Ben Simmons case is interesting, too. He got a lot of criticism for the way he handled everything at the time. I’m not sure we know how much money he ended up getting from the Sixers ultimately, but I always thought some people were a little harsh on his methods and assumed it would cost him so much money. I’m not sure he didn’t ultimately get the significant chunk of his money. It always seemed to me like an uphill battle for them to show this guy was not injured and not suffering mental health issues which possibly stemmed or were exacerbated by being on that team.
I think Simmons clearly had some injury issues as he looked like a diminished player athletically afterwards. It didn’t appear to just be in his head. And that he would have mental health issues related to the team was always understandable as well.
The Ben Simmons thing is more sad than it is funny due to the whole mental health part of the equation and the tightrope walk Embiid was walking early on showing empathy for Ben (Though the post he made after he was traded was hilarious)
Same with Kawhi but more due to bodily autonomy and the Spurs treating him like he was faking his injury. Can’t really say there was much funny about that though winning a ring with him was definitely fun.
Nobody is sympathetic to Ben Simmons 76ers situation or even thought he had actual mental health issues. Mostly everyone calls that man the biggest or the worst quitter in NBA history.
Are the Ben Simmons sympathizers in the room with us right now?
Yes. My perspective is that I do believe Ben Simmons was not physically and mentally well going into the next season.He suffered a knee dislocation in the bubble and a back injury earlier that season.If I remember correctly, even back when he suffered that original knee injury, people were concerned about what it would mean for his career going forward. After getting traded from the Sixers he didn’t look like the same player athletically. You can put that down to being in his own head, but he was frequently injured or being managed as well. He just looked like a lesser force on both ends in terms of his physical skills.
That he was seriously struggling with his mental health and that being around the team was bad for his health is not hard for me to empathize with. Considering his performance and that many felt he had been blamed by his team that never seemed so ridiculous.
I mean sympathy is one thing. But I feel like most people agree that he mentally collapsed as a player.
But he is mostly correct that most people dismissed that Simmons was having health issues at the time.
Where I disagree with him is that I’ve been of the belief Simmons did have physical and mental health issues at this time. I’m also down to believe that Simmons used these things as a method by which he could get traded off the team. So, nobody is not a fair thing to say.
Not technically, it just is correct lmao nobody said craziest
Both Carter and Mitchell say this is untrue/exaggerated, fwiw:
https://www.basketballnetwork.net/off-the-court/vince-carter-sets-record-straight-about-allegedly-body-slamming-sam-mitchell
…unless you go back to closer to the date of the alleged incident in which Vince said it happened and told his mother about it - and didn’t deny it happened when asked about it
Vince Carter’s mother says her son had a physical confrontation with Raptors coach Sam Mitchell earlier this season when he played in Toronto, and Carter did not deny it. “So? What’s the big deal,” Carter said when asked about the incident following the New Jersey Nets’ 101-91 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.
Vince Carter’s mother says her son had a physical confrontation with Raptors coach Sam Mitchell earlier this season when he played in Toronto, and Carter did not deny it.
“So? What’s the big deal,” Carter said when asked about the incident following the New Jersey Nets’ 101-91 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20241207203752/https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=1989670
Define “physical confrontation.” Even in the article where they deny the assault, they say they were playfully roughhousing.
I’ve always liked Vince Carter.
a…alright
Didn’t the coach challenge Vince to fight ?
Not according to Jalen Rose. What prompted the fight was Mitchell saying Vince was always injured, they got into each other’s chests and then Vince slammed Sam.
Both the coach and Vince said they were horsing around, Vince did not legitimately assault his coach lol.
Trying not to bust a gut, in line at the bank
Fat suit probably had a six pack.
Thought it was generally conceded that was a fat suit lol
I thought people said it was some sort of vest for protection or weight training or something
I dunno but he was as good as ever in BKLN until he got hurt
He literally went off in his very first game as a rocket that season
He went off the first few games then realized “oh shit, if I do another historical carry of this team, there’s no chance they’ll trade me.” Then started self-tanking the final remaining games.
Not sure but does look like some kinda padding similar to what nfl players wear
Makes him look bigger
Either that or he scored 44 points and 17 assists in an nba game while fat as hell lol
Highlights. Looked in shape to me: https://youtu.be/watch?v=Vm1ds1wEvqE
ONLY player in NBA History to hit those marks in the 1st game of the season. 🤷♂️
The clip is from January 12th, 2021.
He didn’t have a good game vs. the Lakers that night, but turned on his beast mode after it.
Highlights of OPs game? The one where it says Houston vs LA Lakers? Why does your clip show Portland?
Op mentioned during the end of his Rockets tenure… what are the dates of your videos game vs OPs fat suit?
Not nitpicking, genuinely curious
The highlights I posted are from the 1st game of that season, which took place on 12/26/2020 (late start due to COVID/Bubble). As /u/MrBuckBuck has stated, the screenshot in the OP is from 1/12/21. So by my calculation, people think Harden “got fat” in 17 days, all while playing 8 NBA games in between.
damn bro came in with the context
He’s just a naturally stocky dude who was wearing a couple of layers of clothing. People in this sub have shit for brains so they assumed he was actually fat
Yeah exactly. The tucked-in shirt kinda puffs everything out too
This is the answer my head wants to logically accept because it’s the path of least resistance.
However, if he was just wearing a few extra sweatshirts or whatever, why do they form what look like fairly defined boobs under his outer layer? I wouldn’t expected man boobs to telegraph through that many layers this clearly.
This man boobs
I really think he just had towels wrapped around him
It’s one of those heat packs players wear on the bench for their backs.
A fat suit during a professional game? Are people touched in the head?
Must have kept it in closet - looks like he put the suit on again this off-season.
I remember the the theory at the time being that this gave him a bigger hitbox for fouls and more jiggling to be noticeable to the refs when he was hit and the Harden Era was incoming where everyone would be 30 pounds overweight.
Jiggling and hitbox… ok I’m following ☠️
If this was NBATalk I could post a pic of Troy “Escalade” Jackson (6’10” 400-pound And1 player) and say “NBA MVP 2029.” Darn.
Dead or Alive Basketball.
Harden is a CS2 enjoyer confirmed
Bigger hitbox is frying me LMFAOOOOO
If your waistline exceeds the defender’s armspan you will be theoretically unblockable. Genius IMO.
I’m fuxking rolling man said for a bigger hit box for the refs 😭
Damn I could’ve made the NBA after all
“More jiggling to be noticeable to the refs” is craaazy lmao
Holy dumptruck
That one time that I had an NBA quality figure lol
We can all play in the NBA! 😁
Those strippers were selling him BBQ wings
Strip club buffets will do it to you.
Shoutout Chris Paul for bullying Harden (and making him cry) for having man boobs
He should bully Chris for being 5 foot 6 and not having a ring.
As opposed to Harden, famed playoff monster
Noted ring haver James Harden
What’s funny is Chris Paul being injured took away his best shot at a ring.
Playoff riser James Harden should certainly say this.
You should be bullied for having this opinion
I still can’t believe that Chris Paul was in Barry’s DMs and told him this directly
Still can’t believe Skip fell for it lmao 😭
Looks like he ate him as revenge
Hello, police, Chris Paul is trying to beat me up!
Prime male form right there. You might not like it but you have to respect it
I’d do the same thing if I ask for help and you give me the ghosts of Boogie Cousins and John Wall
James Harden is gonna look like Rick Ross once he stops playing basketball.
One of the sexiest and most successful rappers? Not a diss buddy
They’re looking for him
Word is out
You know it’s a fat suit because his face remained the same lmaooo. His face never rounded out. He’ll eventually way it was a weighted vest.
He has a huge beard, you can’t tell anything about his face
You can’t tell me that a beard will hide other facial features when someone gains a bunch of weight. It shows in all areas….like what?
everyone stores fat differently, and it’s not a ridiculous amount of weight, not guaranteed at all to show over a big hobo beard
Big fluffy beards hide faces. Idk what else to tell you
And the rest of the face above the beard?
You gain weight on your cheeks and neck honey, not your eyes and skull
Fat suit
Every time I saw harden like this
I knew he didn’t want to be there anymore 😂
If that is actually a fat suit that is an amazing troll
Tex-mex at work
Fat Suit Harden was peak NBA
Muffin top.
I’m going to forever think that Harden gaining all this weight so he could get traded was the reason for his injuries post Houston.
He’s never looked inshape again.
This argument is supported by the fact that he was an Ironman before the injury, and has been relatively healthy since even as he’s gotten older
Did you see him in Brooklyn? He was blowing by everyone off the dribble
He wasn’t actually out of shape. Wasn’t in peak shape. But dude dropped 44 points and 17 assist like two weeks prior, went to Brooklyn and was magically slim and playing amazing
And he was still pretty good at ball 😅
This is from January 12th, 2021, in case you are wondering.
I’m the same height as him, I consider myself a bit overweight. He is fatter than me.
Man he looks like he ate Eddy Lacy
Seems a bit weird to start grilling him over it six years and four teams later but okay
Them Texas bbq are legendary. Chet should be traded to a Texas team.
Didn’t Charles Barkley do the same thing?
I think Barkley threatened to do it if he was drafted by a certain team he didn’t want. Don’t remember which team though lol.
The Sixers lol.
Imma miss James’ antics when he retires
Wasn’t he wearing heating pads under the track suit or something like that?
lol the terrible stats on the screen put a cherry on top of the moment
The champagne room also has some damn good ribs.
Bot account
Strip club buffet body
My man must of been injecting those glp-1’s like candy overnight to lose 50 lbs. In 1 day.
Victim of the NBA TV non standard aspect ratio
Pre-game meal is crazy work lmao
This shit still crazy hahaha
Remember in this game when John Wall had a wide open breakaway dunk and bricked it, and Harden had to clean it up for him? Did any half-hearted Houston fan think that squad was going anywhere other than off a cliff?
They surrounded Harden with bums and he said goodbye.
Only thing worse than the Houston Rockets is the Houston Rockets in baby blue
Some people gain and lose weight very easily. If I eat like shit for a few weeks I can get close to what he looks like here. If I fast for another week i can get my body back even quicker
James Soften
He jus like y’all fr fr
He was still cooking though.
Why this dude is still on the league man
In the future, when we get the James Harden retirement documentary, we will get the real answer
That man still destroys me on the court lol
The beginning of his hamstring issue as a net.
Little did he know this little weight gain spree is why he would pull his hamstring 6 months later and cause him to retire ringless.
The revisionist history with Harden is crazy. People have forgotten. He was the only player where you could make full 100 clip reels of flopping and abusing the rules for him season by season.
You’ll see someone put together 10 clips over the course of a season of some other player doing it and they go “see everyone does it” but for Harden you could do 15 per game.
Haha! HE’S FAT YALL! LAUGH! He only went on to still contribute to every team he’s been on since! And hey he ain’t a rapist.
Are you OK?
Contribute to every teams playoff exit
He gave Houston his everything though… according to Houston fans 🤣
Then Brooklyn traded 5 FRPs including swaps still owed and 4 decent to all-star level players for this fatass who deliberately sabotaged his own team because he’s a lil bitch. He left before his second year with Brooklyn and became a 140M blackhole of unplayable awfulness called Ben Simmons and our GM somehow still has a job. Good times, I’m not bitter or anything
They blew out the team that went on the win the title in the first two games and only lost because of injuries, can’t be mad at your GM for putting that squad together.
I actually can, getting KD and Kyrie in free agency was a no brainer, that cannot be argued. Also when you get 2 hall of fame caliber players, in their primes, for literally zero assets, you should be a minted contender for at least a decade. Brooklyn is on pace to win a truly atrocious 100 games over a 4 year period, which is truly pathetic. Also that team never got passed the 2nd round of the playoffs and won exactly 1 playoff series.
Harden, as stated, intentionally came to camp out of shape, which shows low character and is generally a bitch made move when getting paid the max by a team who bent over backwards to accommodate all your bullshit on and off the court.
He was and continues to be a postseason no show and shrinks when the playoffs start. He’s also the opposite type of player that an intelligent GM would partner with KAI and KD, a shoot first ball dominate offensive PG, when they would need a ball moving defensive minded point of attack defender to compliment the skillsets of KD and KAI.
I can definitely blame him for overpaying for him and the subsequent trade for Simmons was complete dogshit. The Clippers got a better return for Harden than Brooklyn did, which is pathetic for the Nets.
forcing your way out of team is still better than whatever that fake bitch giannis did for the past couple years
acting like he doesnt want to leave while absolutely wanting to leave.
at least with james when he wants out, its clear, not some fake nice guy facade shit.
Yeah I’m not necessarily mad at Harden, he did what he always does. I’m mad at my dipshit GM