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Former 76er James Harden Passes LeBron James on Historic NBA List

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden continues making history with the Clippers.

Justin Grasso

Dec 9, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Dec 9, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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After moving on from the Philadelphia 76ers last season and getting a full offseason with the Los Angeles Clippers, it’s safe to say James Harden is hitting his stride out West.

Since getting comfortable with his teammates on the Clippers, Harden has been thriving throughout his 2024-2025 campaign. On Sunday night, he accomplished some notable achievements in the Clippers’ matchup against the Denver Nuggets.

For starters, Harden became the second player in NBA history to make 3,000 three-pointers. Recently, the ten-time All-Star surpassed Ray Allen on the all-time list and started his chase for Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.

Beyond the three-point shooting, Harden moved up another historic NBA list. According to StatMamba, Harden has officially passed Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James to earn the most career games with at least 30 points and ten assists produced in an outing.

Harden’s 30-point outings might not be as frequent as they once were when he was a member of the Houston Rockets, but the ability to give a defense 30 on any given night is certainly there for the 35-year-old former MVP.

As a member of the Sixers, Harden surpassed 30 points on just six occasions during the regular season. He appeared in 79 games for the Sixers, averaging 21 points and 11 assists. As he trailed the NBA’s scoring champion, Joel Embiid, in the scoring department in Philly, Harden became the NBA’s assist champion in 2022-2023 for the second time in his career.

After averaging 17 points and nine assists for the Clippers last year, Harden has improved in both areas in his second season with the team. Through 21 games so far, Harden is averaging 22 points and nine assists. With a 126-122 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Harden helped the Clippers get to 13-9 on the year.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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