James Harden was officially named an NBA All-Star starter in the Western Conference on Thursday night.
This marks Harden’s seventh straight appearance in the All-Star game, third straight start, all in his time with the Rockets. The reigning MVP earns the starting nod in the midst of arguably (but probably not as arguable) his best individual statistic season. He currently leads the league with a career-high 36.3 points per game, is tied for third in assists at 8.3 a game, and is No.1 in the league in free-throw attempts.
While Harden was the leading media vote-getter for guards in the West, he wouldn’t have made the starting lineup if it were up to the fans.