NBA: James Harden’s Masterpiece—Signs with Cleveland for $97 Million at Age 37

A masterpiece by James Harden. At the ripe old age of 37, he secured a lucrative contract with the Cavs: $97 million over the next three years. He’ll play until he’s 40, and—here’s another stat—he’ll surpass $500 million in career earnings (he’s currently “stuck” at 414).

“The Beard,” who turned 37 on August 26, became—at the time of signing—the second player in league history to sign a contract with over $90 million in guaranteed salary at the age of 37 or older. The other is LeBron James.

Unfortunately, unlike LBJ, James Harden has never won an NBA championship ring. He is about to enter his 18th season but has never managed to become an NBA champion.

He’ll have three more seasons to try, with $97 million to make the losses a little less bitter. Last year, gthanks in part to James Harden’s contributions, Cleveland reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018; “The Beard” averaged 19.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 18 playoff games. That was enough to earn him a massive contract at age 37.