A day before receiving the MVP trophy at the NBA Awards show in Santa Monica, James Harden was enjoying a party of his own about 10 miles east at Audubon Middle School where once upon a time he was a student. Harden had partnered with Adidas to build 12 new outdoor basketball courts, and they will renovate the gym in time for the start of the school year.
"The courts look amazing," Harden said Sunday. "This is my first time seeing them. But this is only the beginning. From books to materials, everything. It's time to put my footprint on my legacy, and this is the beginning of it."
The theme of the event was Imma Be a Star, and Harden's mom, Monja Willis, was on stage with him to tell the story behind it. Harden was a ninth-grader when he left an early-morning note for her to ask for some spending money along a postscript that predicted greatness. Check out the video above to see Harden and his mom speak from the heart as they celebrate his success and his commitment to give back to the Los Angeles community where he grew up.
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