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NBA Legend Dwyane Wade Gets Brutally Honest on Comparisons to James Harden

Three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade got honest about LA Clippers star James Harden
Apr 8, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) reacts against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 8, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) reacts against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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There is no debate on who the greatest shooting guard of all time is. Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, only challenged by LeBron James. The second-best shooting guard is clearly Kobe Bryant, but the argument after Bryant can be for a number of people.

The debate for the third-best shooting guard is generally between Dwyane Wade and James Harden. Wade has the team success, winning three championships and a Finals MVP, while Harden has the personal accolades, winning an MVP and is about to crack the top 10 in all-time scoring.

LA Clippers guard James Harden
Mar 16, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) reacts against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Dwyane Wade addressed the debate on a recent episode of the "Time Out" podcast on his network, saying he could've had better stats if he didn't care as much about championships.

"It's going to be a lot of arguments about 'Oh, he's better because he scored more points. Oh, he's better because I like his game better. He's better because he won more rings.' This conversation never goes anywhere... Winning a ring, it's a whole different game than being a great player and having stats. I could have more stats if I didn't care about winning a ring," Wade said.

Wade, in his prime, was as good as any Harden season. In the 2008-09 season, he averaged 30.2 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 5.0 RPG, incredible numbers when you consider the era. The biggest difference is Harden's longevity, who averaged at least 29 PPG for five straight seasons from 2015 to 2020, partially because his Rockets teams didn't have a ton of elite talent around him.

Harden still has a chance to win a championship with this current iteration of the LA Clippers, but they have to stay healthy, and he finally has to rise up in the playoffs instead of disappearing like he did in Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets this year.

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Austin Veazey
AUSTIN VEAZEY

Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG

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