When Harden’s new coach, Kenny Atkinson, heard Harden …

Apr 13, 2026 - 13:47

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James Harden made one request upon joining the Cleveland Cavaliers after the big trade in February. It was something off the court, a practice he’d engaged in for most of his 17 storied NBA seasons, where tape ends up on the floor. The kind of thing a few of his new, younger Cavaliers teammates had never done before, while even some veterans had only dabbled in it here or there, but certainly not in Cleveland. When Harden’s new coach, Kenny Atkinson, heard Harden make the request, he scrunched his eyes and shook his head. “I’m like, eh, this isn’t my thing,” Atkinson recalled as his initial response. There are other teams in the NBA that would simply refuse to partake in such behavior. But Harden was coming from L.A., where this sort of thing was common.
New York Times

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: When Harden’s new coach, Kenny Atkinson, heard Harden …