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NBA fans fooled by viral skinny James Harden photo

The Los Angeles Clippers star is in better shape this offseason, but this would be extreme.

Matt Ryan

LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) dribbles the ball Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center.
LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) dribbles the ball Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Social media can be a blessing as a source of information, but also a dangerous place for false news as evident by a fake James Harden photo that went viral.

Los Angeles Clippers fans are excited to see shooting guard James Harden getting into good shape this offseason. The shooting guard posted several pictures on Instagram showing his new physique off that caught everyone’s attention.

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That’s the good side of social media. The bad is when one of the same photos Harden posted gets photoshopped and this is the result:

In fairness, those who follow NBA Centel closely know they make pictures like these as a joke. They do a great job with posts like these. But many fans took this fake photo as truth and spread it through their handles.

Before getting into that, let’s first set the record straight and show this isn’t the real James Harden photo. Here is the real one and the difference with the fake:

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Now, back to the fan reaction: Here’s the result of misinformation.

These are just a few examples. You can see how fast stuff spreads out of control.

Harden himself did claim he once lost 100 pounds in an offseason. He’s often been criticized for being out of shape, and having offseason videos like this four burger grab don’t help that perception. His playing weight is supposedly around 225 pounds, but let’s see what he’s at for this season with the big changes.

Harden, who has played 15 NBA seasons, appeared in 72 games for the Clippers last season, averaging 16.6 points and 8.5 assists. Clippers fans hope that prime Harden who once won an MVP in 2017-2018 makes an appearance this season.

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Matt Ryan

MATT RYAN

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