BROOKLYN – The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden has been selected as a reserve for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, March 7, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. All-Star reserves were voted on by NBA head coaches.
Harden joins Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as All-Star selections in 2021, representing the first time in the Nets’ NBA history that the team has had three players selected as All-Stars in the same season.
Harden has been named an All-Star for the ninth time in his career, and his streak of nine consecutive All-Star selections (2013-21) is the second-longest active streak in the league, trailing only LeBron James’ 17 straight selections. Harden has appeared in 26 games this season, including 18 with Brooklyn since being acquired via trade on Jan. 14. In those 18 games as a Net, he’s registered averages of 24.9 points on 50.2 percent shooting from the field, 41.0 percent shooting from 3-point range and 87.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 8.3 rebounds, 11.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 38.4 minutes per contest, while leading Brooklyn to a 13-5 record in games he’s appeared in. Harden has registered five triple-doubles, tied for the second-most in Nets history, and has recorded a double-double in 16 of his 18 games as a Net, including a franchise-record 12 straight games. Harden made his Brooklyn debut on Jan. 16 vs. Orlando, totaling 32 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists and four steals in 40 minutes in a victory over the Magic. He became the first player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double in a debut with a new team, and his 14 assists set a franchise record for assists in a player’s debut.
For the full season, Harden has seen action in 26 games split between Brooklyn and Houston, notching averages of 24.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, a league-leading 11.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 37.8 minutes per contest. He leads the league in points/assists double-doubles (19), is fourth in triple-doubles (five) and ranks sixth in total double-doubles (21). Harden has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice, becoming the only player in the Eastern Conference to secure the honor multiple times this season.