James Harden is ready for his first major acting role, if it’s the right fit. If his on-court experience translates on screen, then he’ll be as versatile as they come. After all, the 11-time NBA All-Star has played many roles over his career, from sixth man to league MVP to his current role, at age 35, as the veteran leader of a surprisingly solid LA Clippers squad.
The Beard is also a very relatable dude. From the “Mom made pizza rolls” meme that came out when we were in high school to his wedding bouquet reaction, Harden seems to have fun wherever he is. He just also happens to be a gold-medal sharpshooter.
In the heat of the NBA season, and on the heels of his appearance in a Super Bowl ad for Pringles, we sat down with the Clippers guard to discuss future acting roles, his team’s quirky owner Steve Ballmer, and his die-hard love for pizza-flavored Pringles.
The conversation below has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
What’s good, James?
James Harden: Sup, brodie. You should have been in this spot with your mustache, you look like the Pringles guy.
Wow, I appreciate that. I wasn't sure if the lighting was good. That said, are you new to the Pringles world, or are you a lifer? I see you’ve got the Pizza Pringles by your side.
Pizza is the best flavor. Not even a question, it’s been elite since I was a kid. No-brainer. They’re crisp. They've been around for a long time. Still standing tall. Literally.
What is your partnership with Pringles like?
I'm excited about it. I'm excited to be in a national spot like this with some excitement, some fun, you know what I mean? Lighthearted. The relationship has been unbelievable.
I know Netflix has a new NBA documentary coming out soon. You’re obviously used to cameras being around, but would you ever go on TV as an actor?
Actually, yeah.
Like a hoop film or something?
It’s got to be the right role. I can’t be out here doing a love movie or something. Either a basketball movie or … I like drama.
Okay, I love that. You could be the next Jason Bourne.
Something with suspense, you know what I mean? But I ain't jumping off sh*t. I ain't doing nothing extra. The role has to fit perfectly for me to be in it and then we’re a go.
The Super Bowl’s over. Crazy playoffs. Are you a football guy?
Yeah. Niners. But I wanted to see Washington do well, ’cause Jayden, he's swag right now.
Do you accept him as a Sun Devil or not, because he transferred?
He’s in there. He got to rep both schools, I guess, at this point. He got the Commanders on the wave right now. They just swag. They feel like they're not supposed to be this good, but I think they are supposed to be this good.
At Complex, we know our memes well, and we keep up with whatever videos are going viral. Have you had to walk anyone through the wedding bouquet video that came out last year?
I couldn't believe it. That wasn’t supposed to happen. There was an announcement on the microphone: “Okay, it's time to throw the bouquet”. So she ran to the front and I yelled her name. I'm like, “Paige, get back over here. What are you doing?” So I'm literally against the barricade, and everybody's in front me. It was like a movie, like 3 … 2 … 1 … and then they threw it, and it was like slow-motion, it hit three peoples’ hands, then she caught it. I said, “Oh hell no, this is impossible.” Then all the cameras panned to me. It was funny though.
That’s incredible. On the topic of funny, I feel like your owner, Steve Ballmer, is one of the funniest owners in all sports. He's always doing something goofy or ending up on X. How's your relationship with him been and is he as funny in real life as he seems on the internet?
He’s one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet. So down to earth. You wouldn’t even know he has money. He can talk to anybody. He's so cool and chill. It's hard to explain, but he's definitely the coolest owner I've had, in the sense of his personality. And then the games, he's excited. He's doing all kinds of fist bumps and making all those faces. That's what makes this team so excited, we’ve got an owner who's just as excited as the fans. It's like, pretty cool.
The last question: What goes into the perfect beard? Do you wake up and hit the road, or are you a maintenance man?
It’s a little bit of both. It depends on if I'm just going to practice—then, no, I’m not grooming for five minutes. But if I'm going somewhere nice, where it makes sense to make it look how it's supposed to, then I'll take a little more time.