LeBron James and Dwyane Wade influenced James Harden to leave Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, claims NBA veteran
Kendrick Perkins recounts the story behind James Harden's departure from the Thunder and how LeBron James and Dwyane Wade played a role in the decision.
Follow Us
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and James Harden (Images via Open Source/X)
The Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the teams known for having a solid squad depth back in the 2010s. Boasting players like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden on their roster, they were clearly favorites to win the NBA title until Harden departed. Now it turns out, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade may just have influenced that move.
While speaking on the Road Trippin podcast recently, NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins disclosed what really happened back in 2012. Perkins himself was part of the OKC team during that period, and he recalled having this conversation with Durant, when the Thunder trio returned from the Olympic Games.
KD said, 'Man, we about to lose James and it's not about the money... We about to lose James because when we was over there in the Olympics, Bron, D-Wade, all those guys were telling James, 'Bro, you're too nice bro to be coming off the bench. You're a number one option. You need to have your own team.'Kendrick Perkins opened up
With Harden wasting away on the Thunder bench, the former NBA star revealed how LeBron James and Dwyane Wade got to his teammate during the Olympics. According to Perkins, James and Wade who were teammates at the Miami Heat at the time, tried to convince Harden that he was too good to sit on the bench. Perkins asserted that conversation did take root in the heart of Harden, who eventually left.
Following that, it took the Thunder only two months to trade James Harden to the Houston Rockets. The Oklahoma City Thunder tried to persuade James to stay at the franchise and offered him a contract extension. However, it probably came too late as Harden has already made up his mind to leave, allegedly influenced by LeBron and Wade.
LeBron James called Redeem Team USA featuring Dwyane Wade, others greatest ever
After appearing in four Olympics over the course of his career, LeBron James still have fond memories of the 2008 Redeem Team. The 39-year-old further claimed the USA men’s basketball team that participated in the Beijing Olympics is the best international team ever.
Seriously, if you got D-Wade coming off of your bench, you got the greatest international team ever.LeBron James told Basket News
James recalled fondly in an interview with Basket News how Team USA eventually went on to win Olympic gold that year, beating Spain 118-107 in the finals.
The Redeem Team had stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, Carlos Boozer, Michael Redd, Chris Bosh and other notable basketball legends on its roster.
In case you missed it:
Stay Updated!
Anjum Ash.
(521 Articles Published)