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James Harden Named All-NBA First Team

HOUSTON – Today, the NBA announced that Houston Rockets guard James Harden was named All-NBA First Team.  For the second straight season, he was selected to the First Team on all 100 ballots submitted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Harden has been named All-NBA in five of his six seasons as a Rocket (Third Team in 2012-13; First Team in 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2016-17).  He joins Hakeem Olajuwon (12) and Yao Ming (5) as the only players in franchise history with at least five All-NBA selections.

This season, Harden led the league in scoring with a career-high 30.3 points per game, while also averaging 8.8 assists (third in NBA), 5.4 rebounds, and 1.75 steals (seventh in NBA).  Michael Jordan (1988-89) is the only player to have averaged at least 30.0 ppg, 8.0 apg, 5.0 rpg, and 1.70 spg in a single season since steals became an official statistic in 1973-74.

Harden joined Elvin Hayes (1968-69) as the only players in franchise history to have led the league in scoring.  He also joined Moses Malone (31.1 ppg in 1981-82) as the only Rockets to have averaged at least 30.0 ppg in a single season.  Harden scored 20-plus points in 69 of his 72 games played this season, including each of the first 35.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970-71) and Wilt Chamberlain (1963-64) are the only other players to have scored at least 20 points in each of their first 35 game played in a season.

Against Orlando on Jan. 30, Harden scored a franchise-high 60 points to go along with 11 assists and 10 rebounds to record the first 60-point triple-double in NBA history.  He scored 50-plus points in consecutive games in late December, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat since Kobe Bryant set the NBA record by scoring at least 50 points in four straight games in March of 2007.

Harden also led the league in 3-pointers made this season with 265, marking the ninth-highest total in history.  He hit at least six 3-pointers in an NBA record five straight games at the start of November.

Since joining the Rockets in 2012-13, Harden has scored 1,021 more points than any other player in the league.  He also ranks third in 3-pointers made, fourth in assists, and fourth in steals over that span.