James Harden makes huge donation to city of Houston

James Harden’s philanthropy is well-known. He just gave away $10,000 a few weeks ago to a needy family in the Bahamas, he had a fairly substantial donation after Hurricane Harvey, and he puts a couple kids through college every year with a scholarship program run by his 3TheHardenWay Foundation.

Every summer at JH Town Weekend, Harden raises money for the Monja Willia Scholarship and the James Harden Scholarship, which covers all school-related expenses for students from single-mother households and does the same for Rice Students from communities facing economic hardship, respectively.

Well, The Beard just stepped it up another level at this year’s JH Town Weekend, where it was announced that he would be donating $240,000 to the City of Houston in order to help renovate the basketball courts of underprivileged communities.

Harden had this to say:

“The whole reason behind it is giving back to this beautiful city that has embraced me for the last eight years. I’m here to help...

...I think about how I can impact the world, and obviously, take baby steps and baby steps, and ultimately, I want to be a legend off the court as well, in the community.

Being raised in LA, growing up, playing outside in the parks and things like that, we need that more. That’s one of the main reasons I came up with this idea, and also with Mayor Turner.”

Mayor Turner, for his part, had this to say about The Beard and how much he’s been able to give back to the city of Houston over the years.

“This is not a one-time deal. He loves the city, loves the people in this city. He knocked on my door...

That’s the beauty of our city. When you see these athletes, don’t just look at them as athletes. Look at them as community citizens that are giving back to the community, and they’re paying it forward.”

The Beard isn’t the only Houston Rockets player currently in a giving mood. Clint Capela has been spending his time providing backpacks full of school supplies to children who are growing up in single-parent households. The Clint Capela Foundation, which aims to “provide children in foster care and children of low-income single-parents with resources and opportunities,” had an inaugural back-to-school day yesterday, in which over 30 kids were helped.

Way to go, Rockets. This is just one of the many reasons we love these guys. If anyone can figure out the real reason why people out there don’t like James Harden, let me know. The guy’s a marvelous player on the court, and he loves his city and his fans and gives back immensely off of it.

But yeah, um, free throws or something.