The NBA is a huge deal in Asia.
Dating back to the Yao Ming days and with Kobe Bryant taking over Asian soil, China and Japan have become huge markets, but not for all stars.
Notably, it’s more than evident that James Harden is one of the few privileged American superstars to be a wild sensation in Asia, as he was greeted by hundreds of fans when he arrived in China, as seen in a video shared by NBA Central.
James Harden arrives in China pic.twitter.com/oiyWhMvLhu
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 10, 2023
This doesn’t strike as much of a surprise.
Yao Ming made the Houston Rockets the most popular team in China, with Tracy McGrady also becoming a major sensation as his sidekick, even before he took his talents to the Chinese league.
The Rockets even had a jersey to honor their Chinese fanbase, and Harden is undoubtedly the greatest player in modern Rockets history and one of the best players to ever wear that jersey.
Notably, Harden doesn’t have the same pull in the U.S. anymore after the way he’s handled his career as of late.
He’s bounced around the league and is currently trying to force his way out of the Philadelphia 76ers, even though he’s playing with the league’s reigning MVP.
Harden is one of the most explosive and dominant scorers in the history of the game, and his work as a playmaker was also unmatched when he was at his best.
But his style of play has never translated into playoff success, and it just seems like he never takes his preparation as seriously as other stars.
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