Giannis Antetokounmpo pays James Harden a big compliment despite feud
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been tasked with defending some of the most explosive players in the NBA, and you may be surprised to learn which opponent he considers the most challenging to cover.
Antetokounmpo and his girlfriend Mariah Riddlesprigger held a Q&A on Instagram live this week, and one fan asked who is the hardest player to guard in the NBA. Giannis thought for a while before giving the honor to Harden.
Giannis says hardest NBA player to guard is James Harden pic.twitter.com/NgSMB4qrgy
— The Render (@TheRenderNBA2) March 27, 2020
There’s no denying Harden is one of the best scorers in the NBA, but we’ll probably never know whether or not Giannis was being sarcastic. The two players have had somewhat of an ongoing feud over the past year, so Antetokounmpo may have just been messing with his nemesis.
When Antetokounmpo was picking his All-Star Game roster on live TV, he had a funny moment while deciding between Harden, Kemba Walker and Trae Young. The Greek Freak said he didn’t want to pick Harden because he’d rather have a teammate who is going to pass. Harden was later asked about the remark during an interview and responded by taking a shot at Giannis. Giannis also threw an elbow at Harden during the All-Star Game that may or may not have been inadvertent.
Harden is averaging 34.4 points per game this season, so Giannis probably isn’t the only player who would say Harden is the toughest person in the NBA to guard. It is somewhat surprising, however, that The Greek Freak is giving the Houston Rockets star the satisfaction.
