James Harden recently surpassed Ray Allen’s all-time 3-point record, only behind Steph Curry now on the list. While the gap between him and Curry is huge, the LA Clippers guard has found someone who could someday take his place. A long tenure and even a longer way to go, but the player Harden sees himself in is a 5-star prospect from high school.

The revelation came to light during the LA Clippers star’s recent interview shared by The Hoop Spill. Harden was asked if he has been keeping himself involved in high school basketball scenario. “I haven’t… I seen, you know, Alijah [Arenas] this summer. And he just kind of reminded me of myself in the sense of just, you know, playing against pros and as a junior… in high school,” he replied.

Harden further emphasized this to be the way that one gets better and learns the physicality and the skill set. “So… I spoke to him (Alijah), said ‘if you ever need something… Reach out and communicate. Workout a couple times…'” he added.

Arenas had celebrated the recent 3-point milestone of James Harden by posting Clippers’ post to his IG story. Not only did Harden repost the story, but his admiration for Alijah became even clearer when he attended the 2024 Westside Tip-Off Classic High School Basketball Tournament. The stakes were high as Arenas’ team, Chatsworth, faced off against Trevor Ariza’s son, Tajh Ariza, and his squad.

In a nail-biting 58-56 victory, Gilbert Arenas’ 17-year-old poured in 25 points. Showing everyone why Harden sees a bit of himself in this young star. But Alijah’s talent isn’t limited to just one game. His stats over two high school seasons speak volumes.

As a freshman, he averaged nearly a double-double with 30.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks across 27 games. Impressive, yes, but he didn’t stop there. In his sophomore year, he upped his game further. Averaging 33.0 points and 8.6 rebounds over 35 games.

With 19 offers from top programs like Kansas, UCLA, and Arizona, the five-star prospect is already a hot commodity. And now, one of the favorites for Harden from the high school basketball scenario.

Gilbert Arenas’ avid support to James Harden

Before the 2021-22 NBA season, Harden was near unstoppable at the foul line. If you followed the game during that era, you’d remember how The Beard mastered the art of drawing contact. Thus leading the league in free throw attempts for six straight seasons until 2019-20. But things took a turn when the NBA introduced a rule change targeting fouls from ‘non-basketball moves.’

Suddenly, Harden’s trips to the line dropped, leaving fans and analysts wondering: was the league punishing brilliance? Former Warriors star Gilbert Arenas certainly thought so. On an episode of his podcast Gil’s Arena, the 3x All Star defended Harden, calling his ability to draw fouls a skill most players wouldn’t even think to develop.

“James Harden getting fouled was a skill to the point where they had to alter the rule book because of it,” Arenas said. He didn’t hold back further, describing the now Clippers star as a genius at manipulating defensive mistakes and bending the game’s rules in real-time. But instead of celebrating, the league cracked down.

“You penalize him because the defense wasn’t disciplined enough to follow their rulebook,” Arenas pointed out. While this didn’t change anything, it’s nice when talent supports talent. And now with Harden reciprocating Gil’s by his admiration for Alijah is just somewhat of a full circle moment.