How James Harden helped uplift struggling Arizona State women's basketball team this season

James Harden is an NBA superstar and future Hall of Famer. But first and foremost, he's a Sun Devil who stays close to his Arizona State roots.

During several games he's played in Phoenix during his 14-year career, Harden has proudly thrown up ASU's three-finger pitchfork symbol to the crowd after he scores. He might do the same against the Suns when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

But he made an effort to do much more for the ASU women's basketball team, another indication of his support for the school where he raised his NBA draft stock and became a third overall draft pick as a sophomore in 2009.

The women’s team had an underwhelming 8-20 record, 1-17 in the Pac-12, and at one point had a 16-game losing streak after its 6-1 start.

In its rebuilding year, the women's team transitioned from its winningest coach ever Charli Turner Thorne after 26 years to Natasha Adair. The Sun Devils had just one returning player in junior guard Jaddan Simmons after most of last season’s roster graduated or entered the transfer portal.

“I just think there were so many unforeseeable obstacles that happened this year,” Adair told The Republic. “This is Year 26 for me (as a college coach), and just from the sense of health, injuries, I thought it was unprecedented to even be able to get to evaluate some of the players, which made it hard for them more than me.”

However, Adair said her 14 players never had low morale or energy in practice or games, and spent a lot of time doing community service and building the team culture off the court.

On Feb. 16, Harden came to the Desert Financial Arena to donate his adidas signature shoes as the men’s team hosted Colorado. Harden made a surprise visit to the women’s team, and Adair was in on the secret.

“The players didn’t know, so I said, ‘Emergency team meeting!’ You know whenever a coach says that, they’re like, ‘Oh, crap, who did something or what’s going on?’”

Adair walked into their team meeting and said, “It’s unfortunate I had to call this meeting,” which made her players look shocked. While she and her coaching staff tried to maintain stoic facial expressions during her diatribe about the team’s performance.

Harden suddenly walked in and said, “Awww, you guys are in troublllle,” which made the players and coaches hysterically laugh.

Adair said Harden's personality was far from a pretentious celebrity, but rather an ASU alumnus who was just a humble regular guy.

Adair said the closest thing she’s experienced to that as a head coach was when Washington Mystics' two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne gave a pep talk to her former college team Delaware during Adair’s tenure there from 2017 to 2022.

“He just sat there, he was not rushed. They thanked him, took pictures, signed some of the shoes,” Adair said. “The fact that Harden came back, not just to the men’s program, but to the women’s program speaks to his character, his heart and how much he loves absolutely being a Sun Devil.”

Adair thanked Harden, his personal team, and said he provided encouraging words for her as well.

“He’s like, ‘Coach, keep going, I’ma keep my eye on you guys and keep working hard. I appreciated that,” Adair said.

Antwi Atuahene, one of Harden’s former ASU teammates and businessman who is an ambassador to Harden’s eponymous brand J. Harden Wines, helped deliver Harden’s adidas Volume 7 shoes to both men's and women's teams one month before they were released to retailers this month.

In addition, Harden's adidas shoes align with Arizona State athletics, which has a endorsement contract with that brand.

“We had a conversation about it in Philly and he spearheaded it," Atuahene said. "But clearly because he’s in the middle of the season. He left it up in the hands of myself and (Harden’s agent and manager) Troy Payne to execute.”

Atuahene added that Harden has previously donated his signature sneakers to the men’s and women’s basketball teams before, but this year was the first time he gave them to the ASU late in their basketball season.

“I don’t remember the first time, but I know for a fact that every time he’s had a pair of shoes he makes sure that the Sun Devils get their own kind of P.E. edition with those Sun Devils (gold and maroon) colors,” Atuahene said.

Harden wasn’t selected to be an All-Star this season, so the timing of the All-Star weekend from Feb. 17-20 enabled him to make the trip to Arizona for a few days and return to ASU’s campus to visit after the 76ers’ home game on Feb. 15. But Harden only had time to visit the women’s basketball team before he had to leave the state.

“I know it’s a big part of the (college basketball) season and he kind of wanted to give them a jolt,” Atuahene said. “They had some great energy. All the girls were smiling, they were kind of shocked and didn’t know it was gonna happen but it was great to stay connected to them and take pictures with them and say hello. It was great.”

Harden has worked out and played pickup games with the ASU men’s basketball team in Tempe during several off-seasons after he left as a sophomore and entered the NBA in 2009. He hasn’t done that since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic the following year.

Harden’s former Los Angeles-based Artesia High School basketball coach, ex-ASU assistant coach and current Rice University men’s basketball team Scott Pera can attest to Harden’s philanthropy and helping inspire players where he lives.

Pera said that Harden has a house in Phoenix and during the summer still lives in Houston, where he became a perennial All-Star, six-time All-NBA First Team selection and MVP with the Rockets from 2012 to 2021 before he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets the latter year.

Similar to Harden’s workouts with the ASU men’s basketball team, Pera said Harden uses Houston-based Rice’s athletic facilities to lift weights and work on his game around the Owls men’s basketball team, which is a “safe haven” where he’s unbothered by the public.

“He is very appreciative of the position that he’s in and is very happy to give back when he has the opportunity to do so at the places that matter to him. Whether in his childhood home area in L.A. or Arizona State, which is an important place to him, here in Houston, all the places he’s been and in Philadelphia,” Pera said.

“I’m not there (in Philadelphia), but I’m sure he’s doing things in the community there as well. He’s always been one to not make a big deal out of it. He does it because he cares.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: James Harden uplifted struggling Arizona State women's basketball team