Today is another day that fans of the Arizona State Sun Devils can feel great pride in cheering for the various athletic programs.
Arizona State legend James Harden just secured another major honor in what has become an illustrious career in the NBA.
The current Los Angeles Clipper was officially named to the All-NBA Third Team on Friday afternoon - which is the eighth selection to one of the teams in the career of the former Sun Devil.
Harden averaged 22.8 PPG and 8.7 APG in his age-35 season - where he was also selected to the All-Star game for an 11th time.
The Los Angeles native scored 1,914 points in a two-year career in Tempe - endearing himself to a fanbase that had long been subjugated to mediocrity.
He went on to depart Tempe after a sophomore season that saw 'The Beard' average over 20 PPG - although the decision was not easy to move on to the NBA.
"I want to emphasize leaving Arizona State is not an easy decision. These last two years I've had a lot of ups and a lot of excitement as far as winning and playing in big games with this group of guys that I came in with. This is a great program and a great city. It's hard to leave."
From Harden's farewell press conference in April 2009:
"The program is on the rise and I plan on being the first former player to use the alumni locker room. Arizona State is a great place, and in these two years, have been the most excitement and fun that I've had in my life."
He went on to be the third overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he won sixth man of the year in 2012 before being traded to the Houston Rockets.
That is where Harden turned a corner from a good player to an all-time great - the Sun Devil won a league MVP in 2018 and was a three-time scoring champion at the peak of his powers.
Harden has backed up the promises he made and then some since the departure.
Read more about Harden's contributions to Arizona State - from financial backing, to spending time with the new teams on a annual basis, to providing shoes to the men's and women's rosters here.
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