James Harden picks Kyrie Irving over Chris Paul in his ideal starting lineup.
James Harden Snubs Clippers Star in All-Star Starting Lineup originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden has had the opportunity to share the floor with some of the best players in the NBA. At the start of his career, he played alongside MVP winners, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Of course, no one knew all of them would win the prestigious award, but the potential was evident.
After his time with the Thunder, he got to play with more All-Stars. Players like Dwight Howard, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all spent time with Harden as teammates.
He revealed his all-time starting lineup on Monday, which includes all of his best teammates.
Harden Snubbed Chris Paul From His Starting Lineup
Harden appeared as a guest on the live stream of FaZe Lacy. During the stream, he entertained a few questions from his followers on Twitch. One fan asked which of the players he played with would be part of his all-time teammates lineup.
The 11-time All-Star gave it some thought before naming the players in his lineup.
"Center, Joel Embiid," Harden said. "I thought about Dwight [Howard], like, in his prime -- whoa… That point guard position is crazy. You got CP (Chris Paul], you got Russ [Westbrook] and you got Kyrie [Irving]."
After thinking about the stars he's played with, he finalized his starting lineup.
"Kyrie, Russ, me, KD (Kevin Durant) and Joel. I like that team."
James Harden names his starting 5 of his best teammates:
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 12, 2025
Kyrie Irving
Russell Westbrook
James Harden
Kevin Durant
Joel Embiid
How many games does this team win? 🤔
pic.twitter.com/V5ipd1lZVD
Harden opted to put Irving as his starting point guard, despite playing together only for 16 games with the Brooklyn Nets, according to CBS Sports. The two backcourt stars formed a trio with Durant in Brooklyn, but they couldn't stay healthy together. The Big 3 only had one playoff appearance.
Compared to his time with Paul, the two achieved more. According to StatMuse, they appeared in 103 games together in two seasons. In their first playoff run as a pair, they reached the Western Conference finals and faced the Golden State Warriors.
The tandem of Harden and Paul gave the Warriors serious competition and forced their series to seven games. Even with the history and success they had as teammates, the 6-foot-5 guard still opted to include Irving over the Clippers icon.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
