NBA Makes James Harden Announcement Before Playoffs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Audilet | Last updated Apr 14, 2025 4:05 PM ET

The Los Angeles Clippers closed out their 2024-25 regular-season campaign with eight consecutive victories, securing the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs.

The Clippers' strong regular-season finish came in large part due to some impressive production from veteran shooting guard James Harden, who averaged 29.5 points, 10.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds over his team's final four games.

After notching a triple-double in a 101-100 win over the Sacramento Kings, Harden finished the year with a 39-point performance in an overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

On Monday, the NBA announced Harden as the Western Conference Player of the Week.

"LA Clippers guard James Harden and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 25 of the 2024-25 season (April 7-13)," the league wrote on X.

LA Clippers guard James Harden and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 25 of the 2024-25 season (April 7-13). pic.twitter.com/DG8DCJsc1v
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 14, 2025

Harden and the Clippers finished the regular season with a 50-32 record. Through 79 game appearances in his 16th NBA season, the 11-time All-Star averaged 22.8 points, 8.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game.

"I think, sooner or later, people will start to understand and recognize how hard I actually did work, and what I was able to accomplish throughout my career," Harden said in a recent interview with NBA insider Chris Haynes. "So, for now, just let them keep talking, and hopefully they can change the narrative sooner or later."

The Clippers will begin their postseason campaign with a first-round playoff series against Nikola Jokic and the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets. Game 1 will tipoff at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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