How has Mr. Harden's glorious chin-piece evolved since he started playing basketball? And what does it say about the evolution of his game?
Reddit user ejwise went through the admirable and important work of creating a James Harden Beard Timeline — i.e., a chronicle of the magnificent face-adornment's path to absolute glory since James "Jim" Harden first gained the ability to sprout hair out of his face. Building off that idea, let's take a walk through history, where we'll discover that there's something SYMBOLIC about the beard.
High School. Beard Status — Nonexistent. The Face As A Blank Canvas, Just Waiting For A Beard.
Harden was one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school — Yahoo had him as the country's 11th-ranked player, and he received offers from most of the major schools in the West. Their take? " How much stronger he gets will have a lot to do with how far he takes his game."
Arizona State, January 2009. Beard Status — Gestating. Bristling With Potential.
Image by Victor Decolongon / Getty Images