As scraggly and grotesque as James Harden‘s beard has become, you’ve got to admit it’d be weird to see him without it. Even he has developed a cosmetic attachment to it. But much like any mom, Harden’s mother is hardly a fan of her son’s facial sweater.
“It’s been over a year. I’m scared to touch it,” Harden explained to ESPN Radio’s Doug Gottlieb. “That’s the sad part about it. I’m scared to touch it because I’m scared to see what I look like without my beard. I’ve gotten accustomed to it and used to it, even though my mom wants me to cut it bad. She keeps telling me to cut it or trim it down a little bit. But I keep telling her no.
“It’s tough cause it’s your mom, so you don’t want to tell her no. But at the same time, it’s like, this is who I am now. It’s The Beard. Everybody knows me by my beard now. It’s tough to tell her no, but mom has to know this is who I am.”
It’s not easy to defy your mom’s wishes. I say good for Harden. He’s a great player, but not a household name. Without it, he risks becoming just another guy on the Thunder not named Westbrook or Durant. But with it, he becomes “that homeless-looking guy.” He’s right: The beard is his identity now.
Harden’s mom should learn embrace her son’s look. In the end, he’s still an otherwise normal person who just happens to have a beard of a comical proportions. And at least he’s not like that other weirdo known for a beard.
H/T The Basketball Jones
Photo credit: Richard Rowe, US Presswire
