James Harden: My goal is to be the best player in the NBA

Four years into the NBA and James Harden of the Houston Rockets has already shown us that he is one to watch out for. At just 23 years old, Harden has already been named Sixth Man Of The Year of the 2012 NBA Season, a title reserved for the most reliable players of the league, beating out far more experienced players. He has also made his mark by making an appearance in the 2012 NBA Finals, where the Oklahoma City Thunder eventually lost to the Miami Heat. He is now part of the Houston Rockets where he is joined by other stars such as Jeremy Lin and  Dwight Howard, raising Rockets fans’ excitement and hope for a great season ahead.
 

Recently, the shooting guard visited the Philippines to meet fans and participate in NBA 3X. During his visit, “Sports Pilipinas” host Chino Trinidad caught up with him to talk about his career,  his goals, and his famous beard.

On his famous beard
 

Chino Trinidad (CT): Which came first, the game or the beard?
 

James Harden (JH): Definitely the game. The game I had since I was little, just growing up in the streets playing with my friends. And being in middle school and high school that's where the beard started growing a little bit. Now the game and the beard are together.
 

CT: So now, you can't take one without the other, yeah? It comes in a package, yeah?
 

JH: It's a package deal.
 

“Basketball is the only thing I want to do”
 

CT: You make play(ing) look so easy. When you're inside the court, I mean, the ball is like an extension of your fingers. You could wield that ball. Others would probably take days to do it, you do it naturally. It comes natural to you. It's like music sometimes.
 

JH: I listen to a lot of music, but being in the gym, hard work, and dedication. Being in the gym, working on my game, every aspect of my game, because I know how much work I need to improve, and I want to get better at it. So just wanting to be the best every time I step on the court, every time I work out. Thinking about being the best makes me get better. So when I'm in the court, the game looks so easy because I've done the drills and work every single day.
 

CT: To a point they say that you're natural, would you believe that? Or do you believe that you're actually born to play this game? I mean, the first time that you held that ball... Could you take us back to that time when you first grabbed that ball? You knew there was a special bond between that ball and yourself?
 

JH: Yeah, maybe. When I was little, I just liked the game. I like to shoot the ball, and hoopin', and what not. As I started getting bigger and better, high school going to college, I started feeling like this is my life. Basketball is what I want to do. That's the only thing I want to do, and no matter what it took, I was gonna be good at it. I wanna be great and so from then on, I just stayed in the gym. I wanted to be good instead of hanging out with my friends or doing other stuff. I wanted to be a good basketball player so here I am now. That, it doesn't stop now. I want to be great, I want to be a Hall of Famer, so even more time in the gym, it's going to put me over the top.



 

“My main goal is to be the best player in the NBA”
 

CT: That's the problem. It's easy to get to a certain degree of greatness, but once you feel (that) you had it, then you lose your edge. So what would keep you from going after greatness?
 

JH: I made a new rule for me, being (in) Oklahoma and being Sixth Man of the Year now, I get the opportunity to, you know, have my own team and do a lot more things. I was excited to be in the NBA, now I'm having the chance to be the best player in the NBA. I'm even more hungry for that and my name's getting a little recognition now...
 

CT: A million? How much? Two million?
 

JH: Yeah, but it's just not enough.
 

CT: It's not about numbers or getting to a certain point of your career, yeah?
 

JH: I need to be ... My main goal is to be the best player (in) the NBA and that's not going to be easy (because) there are many great talents in this league, that has been known for many years now. My chances (are) starting to come along slowly, but the more time in the gym bettering myself, then the more recognition I get.



 

On his skill set and putting in the work
 

CT: Sometimes it’s cliche that when they say you've got to be the hardest working athlete to get the edge, but I get the sense that it's beyond just the hard work you put. (It’s) something else, it's like an X-Factor that when we see you play ... Everyone does the extra work, they go out and go to the gym (in the) wee hours of the morning just to get the edge, but there is something in you, that's what you call an X-Factor. Have you figured out what sets you apart from all the other players?
 

JH: My skill set, the way I think (about) the game, the way I see the game before (anything) actually happens. A lot of guys have that skill set. Whether a lot of guys are talented or a lot of guys can shoot the basketball, but the skill set is definitely different and that's what gets me on top. That's what gets me past players that I need to get past.



 

“My mindset is that I’m hungry and I’m still broke”
 

CT: On a final note, you once quoted that it's nice to feel that you have millions in the bank, but once you step inside the court you’ve got to feel as if you have nothing on you. That's key, I suppose, yeah?
 

JH: I say it every single day. Whether it's working out on the basketball court, off the basketball court, my mindset is I'm still hungry and I'm still broke, I don't have anything. Until I lose that itch, until I'm about to retire, that's going to be my mindset every single day.
 

CT: Thank You.

 

- Grace Gaddi/PF, GMA News