Photo Credit: AP Photo/Craig Lassig

Hakeem Olajuwon Says James Harden Is At Michael Jordan And Wilt Chamberlain’s Level 

Last season, James Harden had the second-longest streak of 30-point games in NBA history, second to only Wilt Chamberlain. During that span, Harden averaged 41.1 points per game.

On top of that, he lead the Houston Rockets to the playoffs, averaging 36.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.0 steals. But ‘The Beard’ did not win the MVP award and finished the voting in second behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. Worse than not winning the MVP though, was yet another early playoff exit for ‘The Beard’ and his Rockets. 

This season, after a relatively slow start, Harden has been back to leading the league in scoring with 34.4 points per game.

His career accolades already are very impressive. He’s a six-time All-NBA Team member, an eight-time All-Star, a two-time scoring champion (you can make that three in a couple of weeks), an assist ‘champion’, and a gold medalist at the 2012 Olympics.

But James Harden finally wants to have some postseason success in the NBA and win an NBA championship. This lack of playoff success is the main reason why he has often been questioned by fans and analysts. 

The greatest Rocket of all time, Hakeem Olajuwon though, thinks Harden is one of the greatest to ever play the game. In ‘The A-Team w/ Wexler & Clanton’ podcast, Olajuwon was asked about James Harden and the criticism he receives, and if he is a championship-caliber player.

Turns out Hakeem not only thinks that Harden is Championship material, but also at the level of Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

“There’s no question about that. At his position, it’s very, very difficult to carry a team. I mean, look at all his statistics. He’s a player at the level of Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain. He’s unbelievable in this era.

There’s no question about James’ ability as a [potential] champion, I think it’s just a matter of time.”