James Harden and the LA Clippers defeated the Miami Heat on Monday with a final score of 109-98. Harden finished with 26 points along with 11 assists in the victory.
After the game, Clippers beat writer Joey Linn interviewed the 10-time NBA All-Star, asking him what it felt like to be in the scoring zone. Chuckling, Harden said it was unexplainable. The Clippers guard then pointed to his diamond necklace with a pendant that read “CBFW.”
“You can figure out what that means,” said Harden to Linn.
Linn posted a clip of the interview on X over an hour later, which James Harden quote-posted with a cheeky caption.
“Somebody tell Joey Linn what ‘CBFW’ means, thank you!” The three-time NBA scoring champion said in his caption.
somebody tell Joey Linn what “CBFW” means, thank you! https://t.co/zQzOstIdKU
— James Harden (@JHarden13) January 14, 2025
Harden played a key role in the Clippers’ resurgence in the third quarter after trailing by five points by the end of the first half. He scored 13 of his 26 points in the third quarter alone, eventually sealing the victory over the visiting team. Norman Powell led the Clippers in scoring, tallying 29 points in the win.
The two-time NBA assists leader had to bring out his scoring game this season to cover for Kawhi Leonard, who had just played his third game back after missing their first 34 games due to the inflammation in his right knee. Leonard scored six points in 21 minutes of play that night.
Leonard played in two games last week and missed Wednesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets to take care of his family after the wildfires broke out Tuesday last week.
Fans give other meaning to James Harden’s ‘CBFW’
Following the “CBFW” incident between James Harden and LA Clippers beat reporter Joey Linn, many NBA fans started posting their own meanings of the abbreviation to troll the Clippers guard.
Harden has been out of shape on multiple occasions in his career, particularly during offseasons. Some fans had this fact in mind and came up with food-related meaning to the abbreviation. One fan wrote, “Craving Burgers, Fries, and Wings,” while another said “Cake, Barbecue, Fries, and Wings.”
Shiii Luka the one who made it
— Moe🦅☔️ (@MoeSlatty) January 15, 2025
Cake, Barbecue, Fries and Wings?
— 🅱️ (@dkbarri) January 14, 2025
The 2018 NBA regular-season MVP has yet to win an NBA championship, and a fan used that fact to come up with an abbreviation that shades him for his title-less career. The fan came up with the abbreviation, “Can’t be finals winner.”
Can’t be finals winner
— Dr.Degenerate (@mrfukherthroat) January 14, 2025
One other fan joked that the necklace was a gift from Shaquille O’Neal, and the abbreviation had something to do with Charles Barkley, whom the LA Lakers legend constantly roasts on “Inside the NBA.” The fan said it was a “gift from Shaq reading, ‘Charles Barkley, Fat Whale.’”
Gift from Shaq reading “Charles Barkley, Fat Whale”
— everette (@3v3rett3) January 14, 2025
The “CBFW” on Harden’s necklace actually means, “Can’t Be F***ed With.”
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
