The last time James Harden and Kobe Bryant squared off on an NBA court, the two guards had an epic battle head-to-head. Bryant, 37, was at the tail-end of his career, two games away from chucking the peace sign from the Association, while Harden was ready to usurp his throne as the top shooting guard in the league. Harden’s Rockets won by 20, as he finished with 40 points. Bryant responded with a reverberating performance, as The Black Mamba netted a cool 35. Though Bryant walked away for good in 2016, he and Harden would continue their legacy, but in a different arena.
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Last year, Kobe tagged Harden to be a part of his BodyArmor campaign along with burgeoning Utah Jazz star, Donovan Mitchell. The sports drink has allowed The Beard not only to align himself with the venerated ballplayer, but also to pick up gems from the five-time NBA champion.
“Kobe, as a basketball player, we all know how great he was. The director, he wants to be a part of whatever he’s producing,” Harden tells Billboard. “He wants to be the best. I mean, he’s more part of it, and he’s done an unbelievable job.”
Harden has not only owned up to the daunting task of following Bryant’s footsteps as the NBA’s best shooting guard, but he has also shattered expectations one basket at a time. Last year, Harden won his first NBA MVP Award, averaging a blistering 30.4 ppg, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds.
Unfazed by his gaudy stat line, this year, Harden has leveled up. He is averaging a hair under 36 ppg, and has solidified his place as one of Houston’s brightest stars, along with his compatriot Travis Scott. While Harden has drubbed the competition with his smoldering scoring binge this season, Scott has torched the music scene with his latest album Astroworld, courtesy of his Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single “Sicko Mode.”
“Over these last few years, we’ve grown a friendship, a friendship that’s grown pretty tight,” Harden explains of his bond with Scott. “We talk very, very often. We give each other confidence. We talk about how we can be better in our own class. It’s really grown to be a real brotherhood and a friendship. It’s pretty dope.”
With Harden on the cusp of his second consecutive MVP Award, Billboard spoke to him about his friendship with Travis Scott, working with Kobe Bryant, dreams of wanting to A&R Tupac’s album and more. Check out our interview below.
With your BodyArmor commercial focusing on this year’s NCAA Tournament, can you reflect on any special moments you had during your college days at Arizona State?
I had a lot of great memories. My freshman year, we didn’t make the tournament. We missed it by, like, a game or two. I think we were like the Last 4 Out. So that entire second year was just trying to make it to the tournament and trying to see what that experience was like. That first game we played against Temple, which was crazy. Then, the next game we played against Syracuse. The atmosphere, the environment, it was a special [moment] to be a part of.
Do you have a specific team or player that you’re checking for this year?
Yeah, Arizona State! Of course! That’s [the] hometown. I’ve been watching them all year long and they show potential of being very, very good. So hopefully, they can bring it out and have a great tournament.
How would you describe your relationship with Kobe the player, versus Kobe the creative director of BodyArmor?
Similarly, because they [both] wanna be great. BodyArmor is now at a platform where we’re making a lot of noise and I think the world is noticing. He’s just getting started and he has a long way to go, but I think everybody is a believer now.
How does someone of your workload manage to deliver big-time performances on a regular basis? Especially after your insane scoring binge earlier this year.
The food was key. That allows you to recover quickly. And then rehabbing and other stuff like that helps, but once I started drinking BodyArmor — and I’m not even being bias — we just added some water for fuel, and it just elevated my game. It elevated my game to a whole other level. I feel hydrated. I feel like I have an extra boost to carry me throughout the course of the game because when you add that in with very good eating, and hydration with BodyArmor in your body and all that good stuff, it’s a big plus.
You have a good chance of repeating as back-to-back MVP this season. What’s the biggest difference you’ve seen in your game in comparison to last year’s campaign?
I just think I’m way more comfortable [laughs]. You know how when you get into a situation — I’m just talking about in life in general — and you know what you’re gonna do? You know you’re gonna kill? Like you know you’re gonna come out on top? That’s how I feel coming into the game. Once you hit that comfort level, it’s pretty hard to fail.
Let’s get into music. Tupac is your favorite artist. What is it about Pac’s music that you appreciate so much?
I just loved the way he carried himself. He didn’t care what people think about him, who’s judging him. He’s just free and that’s just how I feel. Obviously, you don’t want to be disrespectful, but everyone is going to have their opinion about you whether they know you or whether they don’t, or whether they think they know you. But the one thing I loved about him was that he didn’t really care. He showed people who he was and you gotta love him for who he was. That’s why I love Pac so much.
Let’s talk about the bond you and Travis Scott have developed over the years, being that you two are the biggest stars in Houston right now. I’m sure you were excited when “Sicko Mode” went No. 1.
At first, it was just I loved his music. You know, he’s a great artist and we had a music relationship. I listened to his music and I’d seen him at Rockets games. Over these last few years, we’ve grown a friendship, a friendship that’s grown pretty tight. We give each other confidence. We talk about how we can be better in our own class. It’s really grown to be a real brotherhood and a friendship. It’s pretty dope. He’s on top and he did his thing. Like I said, he’s just getting started. It’s pretty cool, man.
YG once said he’s a mix of you and Russell Westbrook. Which rapper would you say resembles you the most?
YG? That’s hard. [Laughs]. I’d say Travis. He’s like a rock star, but like a beast. He’s a rock star beast.
What was the music scene like for you when you were over at Arizona State, versus your time in Oklahoma City and now Houston?
When I was in college, I used to listen to Jadakiss, and I think Drake was just coming out. It was a lot of those artists. Now you got all of these new artists that are growing fast and that most people are listening to. Little old me, I can still take it back and listen to Jay-Z, listen to the Pacs and Biggies and stuff like that. For me, those times never change. Obviously, we have new artists and new great talents coming along, but some of those days, or a lot of those days, where I’m listening to all those older artists that kind of keep my swag where it needs to be. So I try to mix in a little bit of both.
Let’s take it back to 2013 when you recorded the infamous “Harden Soul” record for Foot Locker and the remix with Stephen Curry. What was the studio session like for you back then?
[Laughs] I forgot about that. It was actually funny. That was one of those moments that I got to bring out my character during playtime for a little bit. I completely forgot about it. I think I wrote the lyrics myself too. I got so much respect for artists and people that do that because I know how hard it is when you’re in the studio and it’s a different vibe. You gotta turn a different switch on. Credit to those guys that do music.
LeBron served as A&R for 2 Chainz’s latest album. If you could A&R any rapper’s album dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
You know, I’m gonna say Pac [Laughs]. I wanna see what was going through his mind and how he was feeling. Like music is feeling. At the moment, what was you feeling? What were you going through that allowed you to even say that? Or how?
As a basketball player, we can go out there and play basketball, but we can’t express how we feel and what’s going on through our life in detail. It’s day-to-day, so we gotta pour it out another way and that’s on the court. Artists can actually tell their story, tell how they’re feeling, tell you a scenario or situation that you might be going through at the same time so that you can connect with them. Pac told a lot of those stories.
Which artists would you love to see collaborate with Pac on this project you’re A&Ring?
That, I don’t know.
I think Nipsey Hussle and Meek Mill would be dope, because I know those are your boys.
Yeah, they’ve got a little album coming out really, really soon, I heard. They’ve got some heat.
How are the tracks sounding?
They’re fire. [Laughs]
You previewed one of Meek’s tracks earlier this month on Instagram. How did you two get close?
Same way. Just listening to his music. I’ve known Meek for about eight, nine years when I was in Oklahoma City. We used to just chat over this app called Voxer. We would talk on that, kept in contact and I would just listen to his music. It’s a great friendship. He’s like a brother.
You went to Audabon Middle School, and that’s right in the heart of Nipsey’s neighborhood in Crenshaw. How did growing up in that area and balling out against those caliber of players help you get better?
That’s what it was. Growing up where I was and going against all of the talent around me, I loved it, especially being with my homies and just growing up, loving to hoop, loving to play basketball any and everywhere. That kind of gave me my passion right there. Once I had that, the skills, the work ethic, and all the other stuff came, but the love, the love just to do it was [big for me]. There’s so many big talents, not even in basketball that came out of that area. So for me to be doing my thing, Nipsey doing his thing, we’re at a high level. It’s fun.