NBA: “Having the opportunity to come back here with my whole family is very special,” assures James Harden (Clippers)

NBA star James Harden, transferred from Philadelphia to the Los Angeles Clippers, assured Thursday that he could “play with anyone” as he joins a team already made up of great players. After a long wait and an upset with Philadelphia, James Harden (34 years old) was finally transferred this week to Los Angeles, where he joined a squad of stars, with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

On Wednesday, he watched from the stands the Clippers' defeat against LeBron James' Lakers (130-125 after overtime) after a superb derby in the City of Angels. “I can play with anyone and help win a title. I think we're all on the same page. Our individual statistics are a thing of the past, we all share the same goal. I just want to make my contribution,” Harden explained at a press conference. There are many questions about the potential alchemy of the Clippers and their aging stars.

“Having the opportunity to come back here with my whole family is very special, I'm happy about it,” added the bearded man, a native of the Los Angeles area, like Leonard, George and Westbrook. Harden could debut with his new franchise on Monday in New York against the Knicks. “I'm happy to be here and eager to show how good this team can be,” he said of the Clippers (3 wins – 2 losses). The 2018 MVP finally left Philadelphia angry where he was “held on a leash” according to him, after calling his former president a “liar” this summer following an unfulfilled transfer promise.

“I’m not a systems player… I’m a system,” he said. “The leaders (of Philadelphia) no longer wanted me,” he added. At the Clippers, he notably found Russell Westbrook, with whom he reached the NBA final with Oklahoma City in 2012, then whom he found in Houston in 2019-2020. “He’s one of the reasons I wanted to come to the Clippers.”