Harden vs Giannis: This NBA Feud Isn’t Going Away Anytime Soon

Two of the NBA’s top talents continue to bicker about their respective brilliance in an ongoing feud that is equal parts entertaining and entirely unnecessary.

Thus far the banter has been harmless and is in many ways an additional angle that adds to the magic of the NBA, but it does appear that there is no love lost between Houston Rockets star James Harden and young Milwaukee Bucks hotshot Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo is the reigning NBA MVP and is on course to retain that proud title, and the NBA betting is well and truly in his favor, but Harden had some choice words to say about the 25-year-old Greek player, stating;

“I wish I was seven feet and could just run and dunk. That takes no skill at all. I gotta actually learn how to play basketball and how to have skill”

This came in response to comments Giannis made regarding Harden’s apparently poor defensive game and high-usage rate. While these are strong words perhaps they are easier to accept from a player who is performing so well.

In an effort to defuse the situation Antetokounmpo hastened to add;

“There’s not a back-and-forth and I never tried to take shots at somebody”

However he then immediately continued the very back-and-forth he says he’s trying to avoid, claiming;

“My game is not just power, for sure. I came in when I was 18, I was 180 pounds, so to power through big guys was kind of tough”.

Harden has consistently been criticized for his postseason form, claims that he doesn’t ‘care enough’, and in terms of NBA players 30-year-old, who was NBA MVP in 2018, he certainly gets more than his fair share of abuse.

So with that in mind, one can hardly blame the Arizona State graduate for biting back.