Basketball star James Harden led the Los Angeles Clippers to victory with a record performance in the NBA professional league.
The 36-year-old guard scored 55 points in the 131-116 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, improving the franchise record and surpassing Bob McAdoo’s previous record (52 points) from 1976.
Harden converted 17 of his 26 shots from the field, including ten three-pointers on 16 attempts. At halftime, the eleven-time all-star already had 35 points – more than any other player this season. With his 25th game over 50 points (in 17 NBA seasons), Harden drew level with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who died in an accident in 2020, in this category. Only Michael Jordan (31) and Wilt Chamberlain (118) are still ahead of him.
Harden, the 2018 league MVP, also holds the franchise record for the Houston Rockets (61 points in 2019), for whom he played from 2012 to 2021. He is eleventh in the all-time NBA scoring list.
Meanwhile, one of Harden’s prominent teammates is probably in his final NBA season. As ESPN reported on Saturday, Chris Paul’s retirement is a done deal at the end of the season. Paul, at 40 the second oldest player in the league after superstar LeBron James, is a twelve-time all-star. The point guard won two Olympic gold medals with the USA, but this season he only plays a minor role.
Confirmation of his resignation was initially pending, but before returning to his hometown of North Carolina, he posted on X: “Grateful for the last section.”