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Bengals Star Ja’Marr Chase Pays Tribute to 76ers' James Harden

Tee Higgins claims Ja'Marr Chase hit a "James Harden Step-Back" on Sunday in the Bengals' win over the Bills.
Justin Grasso|
Bengals Star Ja’Marr Chase Pays Tribute to 76ers' James Harden
Bengals Star Ja’Marr Chase Pays Tribute to 76ers' James Harden

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Philadelphia 76ersCincinnati Bengals

The second week of the 2023 NFL Playoffs is in the bag. Over the weekend, the final eight teams left battled it out in the Divisional Round. On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs took out the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Philadelphia Eagles put away the New York Giants with ease.

Then on Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals took care of business against the Buffalo Bills while the San Francisco 49ers took out the Dallas Cowboys. Amid the first game on the Sunday slate, Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase scored a touchdown and celebrated with the famous Griddy dance, but with a twist.

After hitting the dance that became popular in the NFL over the last season, Chase threw his own little spin to it in the end, simulating the movement of a step-back three-point shot. After the game, Chase’s teammate and fellow receiver Tee Higgins credited Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden for the inspiration.

“The [James Harden] step back.”

Not long after, Harden responded to the shoutout with some praise for the Bengals duo.

Throughout the years, Harden has established himself as one of the best offensive scorers the NBA has ever seen. Although he could score all over the floor, Harden made a name for himself with his step-back three-point shot.

While he doesn’t pull out the move as frequently as he once did with the Houston Rockets, Harden still has the trick up his sleeve every now and then.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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