Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has taken a lot of heat this offseason for his most recent trade request away from the Sixers. Harden spent one and a half seasons in a Philadelphia uniform following tenures with the Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets. However, after the Sixers' frustrating playoff exit at the hands of the Boston Celtics in 2023, Harden had seen enough, submitting his request to take his talents elsewhere.

At least one media pundit is not a huge fan of the way Harden has handled this latest trade request.

Stephen A. Smith of ESPN recently stopped by Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe to discuss a multitude of topics, including the James Harden fiasco.

“It’s not like you’re a champion making these demands,” said Smith. ‘You have no championships to show for any of your efforts… You got everything you wanted, they gave you everything but a pacifier and a bib.”

It is indeed accurate that James Harden has no rings to his name. He has been accused of quitting on teams in the past, most notably at the end of his Rockets tenure when he showed up to camp out of shape and noticeably gave minimal effort until his trade request was fulfilled.

To be fair, Harden has established a Hall-of-Fame resume over the course of his career, bringing home an MVP award in 2017-18. Still, it's hard to disagree with Stephen A. Smith's take that the Sixers have been quite accommodating to Harden since his arrival, with little to nothing to show for it.