'James Harden Will Always Be a Rocket': Houston governor plans to retire The Beard's No.13

James Harden will return to familiar surroundings on Tuesday night as the Brooklyn Nets will travel to Houston to face off against the Rockets. The Beard established himself as one of the greatest players to have graced the Toyota Center during his eight-year stint with the franchise, which culminated with his move to the Nets midway through the 2020/21 NBA season. Harden hasn't looked back since as the Nets have moved to second in the Eastern Conference standings, winning nine of their last 10 games. 

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James Harden jersey retired? Houston Rockets governor reveals plans to retire The Beard's iconic number 

Houston Rockets governor and team owner Tilman Fertitta has revealed plans to retire James Harden's jersey in honour of his eight stellar seasons with the franchise. Harden moved to the Rockets from the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of the 2012/13 season, and since then became a fan favourite before his messy exit to the Nets. Fertitta told Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle that the franchise was considering plans to retire his No. 13 jersey. The Rockets team owner said, "James Harden will always be a Rocket. Of course, we will retire his jersey. He made my first three years of owning this franchise unforgettable. The success he brought this franchise over eight years and the memories he created for our fan base/community (are) truly remarkable".

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James Harden's No. 13 will be the latest addition to the Rockets retired numbers. The Beard will be the eighth player to have his number retired by the franchise, along with the uniform numbers of Calvin Murphy (23), Moses Malone (24), Hakeem Olajuwon (34), Rudy Tomjanovich (45), Clyde Drexler (22) and Yao Ming (11). The Rockets also retired the initials of longtime assistant coach and executive Carroll Dawson. The Rockets qualified for the playoffs in all of Harden's eight seasons but reached the Conference Finals only twice when they lost to the Golden State Warriors on both occasions in 2014/15 and 2017/18. The latter season saw James Harden win the NBA MVP for the first time. 

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James Harden Rockets stats 

According to Basketball-Reference, James Harden played 613 games for the Rockets, playing 37.1 minutes on an average during his time in Houston from 2012/13 to 2018/19. The 31-year-old averaged 29.6 points per game with 7.7 per assists and 6 rebounds per game. In his final three full seasons with the Rockets, James Harden topped the NBA scoring charts, while also becoming the highest scorer in the Rockets' history. In his eight games for the Nets this season, the Beard was a shadow of his former self, averaging 24.8 points with 5.1 rebounds and 10.4 assists. 

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(Image Courtesy: nba.com)