Houston Rockets: James Harden compares himself to Allen Iverson

Houston Rockets’ guard James Harden and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson recently chatted about a plethora of topics, including their apparent similarities.

When discussing some of the NBA’s best shooting guards of all time, two names that will ultimately come up down the line are Allen Iverson and James Harden. Aside from their position, the two showcase their fair share of similarities, so much that the Houston Rockets’ guard compared himself to the Hall of Fame inducted Iverson.

In a recent sit down to promote their upcoming sneaker collaboration between Adidas and Reebok, the two former MVPs made some noteworthy assertions, starting with Harden.

Transcribed by RocketsWire:

"“I feel like everything I’m going through right now is what you went through, just a newer version. Criticism. negative energy, negativity. ‘Why does he do this? ‘Why does he do that?’ Like, nobody understands. And I’m cool with that.”“I’m not here to explain myself or try to get people to understand where I come from, or what I do, or why I do it. I’m a killer, I work my ass off. Ya’ll are going to figure it out. Maybe when I’m retired, maybe when I’m done and gone, it’ll catch up to you.”“Right now, I don’t have time to explain myself,” Harden concluded in his comments to Iverson. “I feel like you, it’s like a carbon copy. I wanted to say I appreciate you, bro, for paving the way and leading that example, and getting [people] like me to follow it and to try and be even better, at being themselves. Because that’s all I can be. So, I appreciate you.”“Those are my flowers, why I’m still here,” replied Iverson, who played the most of his storied career with the Philadelphia 76ers. “When I get them from killers like you, those are my flowers, right there.”"

On paper, the comparison is certainly viable. Both are a pair of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, with a combined six scoring titles between them, seven if Harden takes home the award this season, which is extremely likely. Both players have one MVP award under their belt, and the list goes on with their accolade filled resumes.

However, the biggest knock between them is their lack of success in the postseason. Their ball-dominant playstyles often draw criticism because of how it translates and how neither has won a championship behind it.

Each player went to the NBA Finals early in their career, but walked away with a loss and never made it back. Harden still has a chance to break the spell, but at the moment, his scrutiny has revolved around that missing title, much like Iverson to this day.

James Harden will unquestionably join Allen Iverson in the NBA’s Hall of Fame whenever his career concludes. Regardless, the one thing that could put Harden’s critics to rest would be an NBA title before he calls it a career. If not, he will get remembered similarly as Iverson, which is by no means negative. Still, winning at least one Larry O’Brien Trophy before his career ends would work wonders for Harden’s legacy.

Keep an eye out for James Harden and the Houston Rockets when they kick off the season on July 31st against the Dallas Mavericks. The following week, be sure to check out the Reebok Question Mid Iverson x Harden “OG Meets OG,” set to release August 7th on Reebok.com.