James Harden Wants His Step-Back Three To Be Remembered Throughout History
There are a handful of signature shots in NBA history that will live on forever. James Harden wants his step-back three-pointer to get added to that list.
The 2018 MVP told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com he loves to see when kids around the world brag to him about having a step-back shot of their own, and he wants his signature move to be remembered with some of the other great shots throughout history.
"You know how Mike [Jordan] has his fadeaway and Dirk [Nowitzki] has his one-leg and [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] had the sky hook, I want my step-back to be one of those moves that last forever," Harden told MacMahon after an event during his annual charity weekend. "So when I travel around the world and I see little kids that [say], 'Hey James, I got a step-back!'—I love to see that.
"It's me being a creator and me being an innovator and paving the way in basketball in my own way, doing it how I want to do it, and that's what it's all about. As a little kid playing in these parks, that's what I imagined, that's what I dreamed of. Now it's coming to reality, so it's pretty cool."
Harden's step-back is easily one of the most dominating moves in the current NBA and it was a big reason he had a career year last season in which he averaged 36.1 points to lead the league.
Earlier in the summer, Harden had to explain to a young fan how his step-back isn't a travel despite the claims from some that it is, and he added that he is working on adding another move to his repertoire that will "look like traveling but it's not."
Earlier this month, a video came out of Harden attempting a one-legged step-back three and he explained to MacMahon that it is something he has been working on.
"I'm always trying to be creative," Harden told MacMahon. "I'm always trying to get better—at basketball, life, businesswise. I'm always trying to find ways to be impactful. With basketball, you have to be creative. This is my 11th year, and every single year I want to get better. I don't want to stay the same. You've got to find ways to keep growing."
Harden added that he is "not sure" if he will pull out the one-legged three in a game this upcoming season.
