Houston Rockets guard James Harden has pledged to donate around $240,000 to help renovate basketball courts in the city of Houston, per Ben DuBose of USA Today.
The announcement was made by Harden himself, along with Houston city mayor Sylvester Turner at Tuffly Park. It was part of The Beard's JH-Town Weekend of Charity. Prior to this, over 100 neighborhood children were also given brand new bikes courtesy of Harden.
During the event, Harden said that aside from becoming the best basketball player that he could possibly be, he also wants to be remembered as someone who had a significant impact off the court.
“Every day I wake up, I think about being legendary. Being the best basketball player I can be on the court. But on the flip side of that, I think, ‘How can I can impact the world?' Ultimately, I want to be a legend off the court as well, in the community.”
“Obviously the hurricane affected this area greatly, and so this is one of the reasons why I wanted to bring some positive energy and some light on this community. It's baby steps, but we're going to get there. In a few years, we're going to change this city around and make it legendary.”
Harden said that basketball courts in the streets were a significant part of his pre-NBA life, as it helped him hone his skills as a player and as a person. That being said, he wants the kids in Houston to have the opportunity to play outside and meet friends.
“Nowadays, everything is so social media-based, kids aren't outside playing anymore. They're on their phone or playing video games. No, (they) need to be active and have fun and be kids. Courts is just the beginning. My ultimate goal is to change Houston and make it better.”
The city of Houston has shown overwhelming support for Harden during his time with the Rockets, and he believes that one of the best ways to thank them is to help the community, especially the kids.
“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. This is the first of many courts that we're doing.”
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