James Harden tributes Arizona State basketball with Harden Vol. 8s in Valley return

Arizona State basketball legend and current Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden paid homage to his school on Wednesday while in the Valley to face the Phoenix Suns.

Harden rocked a pair of special maroon and gold Harden Vol. 8s from Adidas that read “ASU” during warmups and the game at Footprint Center.

Forks Up!​ 🔱

Forever a Sun Devil, @JHarden13 pays homage to his alma mater with a special maroon and gold colorway of the Harden Vol. 8.​#UNO /// #HardenVol8 pic.twitter.com/BnGNDoQofR

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) January 4, 2024

James Harden is wearing @SunDevilHoops adidas Harden Vol. 8s tonight against the Suns ☀️ pic.twitter.com/5U1nhzaCpi

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) January 4, 2024

Harden has debuted several colorways of his newest shoe this season, saying on Instagram they will “be the best hoop shoe two years straight, no debate.”

The one-time league MVP scored 22 points with 11 assists in the kicks, as the Clippers beat the Suns 131-122 on Wednesday.

Harden spent two seasons with ASU, helping the Sun Devils reach the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament as a sophomore. He was an All-American and won Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2008-09 before getting drafted No. 3 overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder. His jersey hangs in the rafters at Desert Financial Arena.

He is in his 15th NBA season and joined Los Angeles in an early-season trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Clippers forward P.J. Tucker wore a pair of bright orange Book 1s during warmups, although he did not check into the game. Tucker spent parts of five seasons in Phoenix and was Devin Booker’s teammate.

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