James Harden claims to have one additional move in his toolkit for the forthcoming NBA campaign. Throughout his ten-season career, one of the greatest scorers in game history has been the target of defenses, forcing him to come up with creative solutions. He has been practicing the sprinting, one-legged three-point shot this off-season on Instagram and encouraged others to give it a go. It should work if he’s serious about it, which he claims he is despite the shot’s, uh, odd appearance.

Harden is an expert in one-on-one face-offs and typically holds the ball in his hands for up to 24 seconds at a time while playing on the court. He was a little on the nose with the bloodied eye he had to play through in the Western Conference playoffs the previous season. However, he is looser and less focused in both his dress and his conversations. RJ Barrett, the incoming rookie to the Knicks, described Harden—who is renowned for his love of a Dries Van Noten or Loewe shirt and shorts—as one of the league’s top style heroes in a recent interview with GQ.

Another previous MVP, Russell Westbrook, was also mentioned. Following Westbrook’s rather unexpecteԀ transfer to Harden’s Houston Rockets from the Oklahoma City Thunder this past summer, the majority of analysts concentrated on whether the two could share the ball or the limelight come season’s start. For now, though, Harden only needs to introduce a new pair of sneakers. His iconic Adidas sneaker, the Harden Vol. 4, has just released in its newest iteration thanks to a partnership with streetwear designer Daniel Patrick. Wearing an untied “pink lemonade” colorway of Adidas, he was seated on a couch on the roof of the company’s West Village offices on Tuesday afternoon. He stretched out here and there, considering his new look team, his style, and the upcoming season.

Vanity Fair: The league has evolved into a type of runway. Is there a rivalry involved there?

James Harden: It’s resembled a runway forever. However, social media has, in my opinion, elevated it to a completely new level. Every time you attend a game, you have to be at your best. Which is fantastic, though, since you ought to look nice. You play in the NBA and are among the top athletes.

Between you, Russ, your team will most likely have the best outfit in the league this year.—

Most likely? Tyson Chandler and P.J. Tucker may have the best-dressed team in sports history.

Has anyone discussed that amongst you guys?

No, we haven’t discussed it. You know how you’re so competent or self-assured that you don’t actually need to talk about it? That is among those items.

Is there any rivalry within?

There is already competition. You are going to witness a lot of swag at the season’s first game.

This season, you have a significant personnel change. How you and Russ will play together has been a major topic of discussion during the off-season. You’ve played together before, of course, but how do you handle that?

It’s simple. We’ll work things out. We are two exceptionally intelligent and gifted people who will stop at nothing to achieve our goal of winning. And Russell and I are not the only members of the team. Clint Capela has improved. P.J. has improved. Gordon, Eric. Danuel House is a young man we have. Tyson Chandler was added. Rivers, Austin. There are plenty of guys on our team that can help us achieve our goals. It’s not just about Russ and myself, then. We managed to persuade several guys to agree on something. To assist with it, we have an 82-game season.

Does the team’s attitude feel different this season than it did last?

It’s excellent. We felt like we received an energy boost.

Followers see you spending around with Russ on Instagram. Was it a message you intended to convey?

That has always been the case. I enjoy spending time with my teammates. I adore our shared energy. It goes beyond basketball. We love basketball and it’s our profession, but I really like hаnging out with P.J. and Clint Capela. We have both visited Europe. We were simply exercising together in Houston. Austin Rivers and I were just working out in the Bahamas, Eric Gordon. Special thanks to the Bahamas. This summer, I’ve spent time with almost all of my teammates, yet I don’t always share my activities on social media.

I saw you with Travis Scott and Maxo Kream, two rappers from Houston, too, not that it’s all about your social media. At this stage, how much does it feel like your city?
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