There’s no denying that James Harden is one of the best scorers in the NBA. Even Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey still believes that Harden is a better scorer than most stars of the past and present. On Tuesday, Morey was featured in a 100 Thieves video from 2019. During his appearance, Morey commented on how the 6-foot-5 star is a better scorer than Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
Harden is a different player now that he’s with the Los Angeles Clippers. He’s leaned in to his role as a facilitator, while still casually making buckets. During his prime, though, he was a feared offensive player. He has three Scoring Titles to prove that he’s unguardable. The 11-time All-Star won the MVP the first time he won the Scoring Title.
Jordan, meanwhile, relied on his athleticism to score the basketball. In his career, he was a 10-time Scoring Champion. The former Bulls icon won the award seven straight seasons, while leading the team to three championships. He also earned three MVP awards and one Defensive Player of the Year award during that stretch.
The Philadelphia 76ers executive revealed that his scoring was what stood out, which is why he traded for him when he was with the Houston Rockets. This led to the hot take he gave about Harden being a better scorer than Jordan.
“If you looked at the data at the time, once he had the ball in his hands, and it’s still true to this day, I get a lot of s**t,” Morey said. “Someone asked me who’s the better scorer, him or Michael Jordan? It’s just factual that James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan.”
Daryl Morey: "It's just factual that James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan."
pic.twitter.com/WJI7VX7Fqx https://t.co/F4d2lmDIiN
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 27, 2025
Morey is aware that not everyone shares the same perspective as him. But he believes in what he said about Harden. However, his relationship with the star hasn’t been the same since the Clippers star demanded a trade from the 76ers in 2023.
Harden’s fallout with the Philadelphia 76ers’ executive
In 2023, the season started with a bang for the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden voiced out his demands to be traded elsewhere and even called Morey a “liar.” Also, the 2012 Sixth Man of the Year said that he doesn’t want to be part of an organization with the team president.
The summer before that, Harden wanted to be traded to the Clippers. However, the trade talks weren’t going anywhere and the star guard had to start the season with the 76ers. Eventually, he got what he wished for and continued his career in Los Angeles.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
