Clippers Star Support James Harden After Facing Tough Sixers Crowd

The LA Clippers were motivated to win for James Harden against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

Nov 27, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) greets | Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

With James Harden returning to Philadelphia on Wednesday night for the first time since his unsurprising departure back in October, the Los Angeles Clippers attempted to brush off the drama that was headed their way, and focused on taking care of business by getting back on the right track.

Still, the hostile crowd couldn’t totally be ignored. While Harden’s certainly been in that situation before, being that he’s been on multiple teams throughout his career, the Clippers wanted to be as supportive as possible, showing the ten-time All-Star guard that winning in Philly on Wednesday meant a little more than it typically would.

“It was no conversation [before the game about it],” said LA Clippers star, Paul George. “We’ve all gone through it. It’s always bitter sweet, and it’s always going to be bad blood when a player decides to play elsewhere. That was his decision and we got his back through the process.”

Harden’s time with the Sixers ended prematurely. After signing a one-plus-one deal two summers ago, Harden picked up his player option for the 2023-2024 NBA season. When he did it, though, it wasn’t with the intentions of competing with the Sixers. Instead, he wanted to lock-in that salary, and land on the Clippers via trade.

It took months for Harden to see his wish granted. While it wasn’t the cleanest divorce, Harden’s patience resulted in a move out West just three games into the regular season.

On Wednesday, he made his way back to his former home for the only time this year.

“It was one versus 20,000,” George added. “We got his back. We got to be a support system, and we got to pick him up and lift him, and I thought we did that. We were there for him to try to make it as easy as possible for him to kind of drown out the noise.”

Harden expected a hostile crowd on Wednesday. While he seemed thrown off by such a negative reception aimed towards him, he wasn’t surprised. Prepared for what was coming his way, Harden thrived under pressure.

In 39 minutes of action, the star guard produced 16 points, 14 assists, and five rebounds. Although the Clippers won in controversial fashion, they collected the victory nonetheless. With the awkwardness officially out of the way, Harden, George, and the Clippers can simply focus on the bigger picture with the postseason approaching.