Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid and Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden were in the middle of a heated argument on ESPN’s First Take when Stephen A. Smith got involved, saying he had never seen anything like this before with two players going at it so fiercely.
The “jason kelce national anthem sixers” is a tweet from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that has been the subject of much controversy. The tweet was in response to James Harden’s comments about not standing for the national anthem.
With their Game 1 blowout victory against the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers made enormous headlines. Philly took care of the basketball while shooting lights-out from the field.
James Harden, on the other hand, raised some eyebrows before the game.
Harden had a fantastic game and was a big reason why the Sixers won. But, before to the game, he wore an unusual pregame attire, which drew criticism from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
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James Harden wore an unusual pregame ensemble.
For years, fashion has been a big aspect of the NBA. Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook have their own clothing brands, and everyone remembers LeBron James’ loose all-white outfit at the NBA Draft in 2003.
However, if you want to make a fashion statement, you must occasionally take chances, and James Harden did exactly that before Game 1.
To be honest, the majority of the ensemble was conservative. Harden donned black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a chain, as well as some footwear (maybe Jordans?). His jacket, on the other hand, was the star of the show.
The 2017-18 MVP wore a Louis Vuitton letterman jacket in blue and white, which seems to be rather sleek at first glance. It did, however, have two toy animals sewed to it (a checkered rabbit and a pink flamingo).
Stephen A. Smith had a lot of questions right away.
On the April 17 edition of NBA Countdown, Smith stated, “Oh my Lord.” “Can you tell me what he’s wearing?” What exactly is it? That looks like something out of The Flintstones.”
Although the Flintstones were unlikely to own Louis Vuitton, Smith made his point. The jacket was ridiculous.
I’m not in the fashion business, but I did win “best dressed” in high school, so I’ll give Harden’s jacket a grade.
It would have been an A+ if not for the stuffed animals. It’s a Sixers-inspired letterman jacket. It’s also a significant plus that it’s Louis Vuitton. And, considering that it’s Easter, the bunny seems appropriate. The cuddly animals, on the other hand, seem like something I’d win at a fair rather than put on a jacket before a big playoff game.
With that in mind, I’m going to give it a C-. The cuddly animals were just too much of a distraction.
At the very least, Harden made up for his loss off the floor with his performance on it.
For the 76ers, James Harden had a fantastic Game 1 effort.
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I’m not paid to talk about clothes, so here’s a quick breakdown of James Harden’s Game 1 performance.
Going into the competition, there were a lot of doubts about his performance. Because it’s evident he’s lost a stride, some are asking whether the 10-time All-Star will be able to modify his game. Harden struggled in the last eight games of the regular season, averaging 17.9 points and 3.5 turnovers. Against the Raptors, though, he scored 22 points and 14 assists. He didn’t shoot the ball well (35.3 percent), but he only turned it over once.
Sixers supporters should be encouraged by his performance, but Game 1s have never been a problem for him. In Game 6s and 7s, how will he fare? Harden has a history of fading when it matters most, so he has to put that story to rest.
Overall, James Harden and the 76ers performed well in Game 1, but there are some serious worries about him, and not just because of his attire.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
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