Revisiting the Giannis Antetokounmpo-James Harden rivalry

The two stars have some history behind them.

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

A few years ago, the NBA was witnessing a feud between two of its greatest superstars, in James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo. No one knows why the beef started in the first place, but it was the talk of the NBA for a while. It has died down over the last year or so, but at its peak, the two stars were going at it on the court and off it as well. Let's take a look back into one of the hottest feuds in the NBA in recent years.

Where it all began?

The first sign of trouble came during the rookie days of Giannis. Harden was an All-Star by then, but Giannis still had a long way to go. They got into it in one of their first meetings, which resulted in Harden pushing Giannis away. But after this, there were no signs of any trouble between the two.

After a while, Giannis and Harden turned into superstars of the game, and they were the leaders of their respective teams. Both had become perennial MVP candidates, and this was when the trouble started brewing between the two. There was also an incident where Giannis hit Harden with the ball to the face, but it was accidental, and the two stars laughed it off.

The feud reached its peak during the 2020 season

But when Giannis won the MVP award in 2019 over Harden, the bickering and war of words between the two started. Harden and the Houston Rockets came out and said multiple times that Antetokounmpo did not deserve to win the MVP. Harden had a historical season in 2019, where he averaged 34.3 PPG and 7.5 APG, while having multiple streaks of 30+ and 40+ point games, as many thought he was the best player that year. But in the end, Giannis won the award.

In the next year, Giannis was elected as an All-Star captain, and he took a shot at Harden. He chose Kemba Walker over James in the All-Star draft, and he made a comment suggesting Harden doesn't pass the ball. He doubled down later, saying his team was going to target the shooting guard on the defensive end. After that, Harden had a bombshell interview suggesting Giannis doesn't have any skill as he is just seven feet tall and able to run and dunk the ball.

This was the last exchange between the two stars, as the feud has died down since then. Harden now plays for the Sixers, and he is trying to get back to his past form. Meanwhile, Giannis is balling as the best player in the world and looking to win another title. Maybe a Milwaukee Bucks-Philadelphia 76ers matchup in the 2023 playoffs could revive this rivalry once again.