On June 25, 2018, James Harden won the NBA Most Valuable Player award. The 28-year-old guard took home the MVP trophy after finishing first in the Western Conference with the Houston Rockets. Soon after they fell to the Golden State Warriors in the playoff who eventually took home the win in the finals.

During the regular season Harden averaged 30.4 points per game, 8.8 assists, and 5.4 rebounds. He also help lead the team into having the best record in the NBA with 65 wins and 17 loses. According to FOX Sports, Harden is the 12th highest-paid athlete with a salary of 26.6 million and a 20 million endorsement.

Harden's NBA career began in 2009 when he was drafted third in the first round by Oklahoma City Thunder. Then, in 2012, he was traded to the Houston Rockets. Before his NBA career began, he was a Sundevil at Arizona State University. During his sophomore year, he averaged 20.1 points per game, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Also in 2009, he was named PAC-10 player of the year.

Although he only spent two seasons at Arizona State University he is the first ever alum to win MVP. The two other finalists were Cavaliers' LeBron James and Pelicans' Anthony Davis. There is controversy on which outstanding player deserved the award the most but the awards are exclusively determined by fan voting.

Another award given out was the Rookie of the Year. The winner of this award was 76ers' Ben Simmons. This was another close category with Utah Jazz' Donovan Mitchell in a close second. After having a rookie rivalry earlier in the season the two shared a quick hug before Simmons excepted his award.