More points than ever before
US superstar sets record
Updated 11/23/2025 – 11:26 amReading time: 2 minutes
James Harden sets a franchise record for the Clippers. Another NBA star is reportedly thinking about ending his career.
James Harden made an exclamation mark – and made club history in the process. The 36-year-old scored a strong 55 points in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 131:116 away win against the Charlotte Hornets. The guard thus surpassed the previous record set by Bob McAdoo in 1976, who scored 52 points for the Clippers.
Harden hit 17 of his 26 attempts from the field, including 10 of 16 three-pointers. The eleven-time all-star already had 35 points at halftime – 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, named the league’s most valuable player in 2018, also holds the Houston Rockets’ franchise record (61 points in 2019). He was active for the team from Texas from 2012 to 2021. He is currently ranked eleventh in the NBA’s all-time points 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.”