For those of us terminally online, one of the best moments of the weekend was in the form of James Harden.
Obviously, Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers are not in the NBA Finals. That’s not meant to be a slight, but the truth. And that’s allowed him to spend his time doing non-basketball-related activities, like attending weddings with his significant other.
And in a viral clip, Harden’s reaction to his girlfriend catching the bouquet is one of the funniest things you’ll ever see.
As his eyeballs bulged out of his head, Harden looked more scared in that moment than he ever did facing off against the Golden State Warriors in their prime, which is saying…something.
Adding to the amusement, ESPN’s Alan Hahn landed a joke on Monday’s edition of Get Up as Harden continues to get piled on.
Hahn poked fun at Harden for both choking under pressure and his lack of championship rings. He jokingly questioned how Harden would ever propose to his partner with no ring to offer.
“He clearly froze in the moment like he tends to do,” said Hahn. “But one thing you’ve got to watch for, though, is how’s he going to give her a ring?”
Ouch.
Harden certainly heard a lot worse on social media, but that was definitely a below-the-belt shot from Hahn. Mike Greenberg did mention that Harden’s lack of a ring was thrown around a few too many times during the production meeting for Monday’s show, so it’s not like it came out of nowhere.
Whether you find Harden’s reaction funny or feel the jokes about his lack of a ring are getting tired, everyone loves a good meme. And Harden’s viral reaction will undoubtedly be used for any NBA discourse across social media in the coming months.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.