Cleveland Cavs All-Star Donovan Mitchell defended James Harden's legacy against what he believes is an unfair narrative that has followed the future Hall of Fame guard. After Harden agreed to a $97 million extension with the Cavs, it solidified their backcourt, led by Mitchell and Harden.

For Mitchell, Harden isn't mentioned in the same breath as some of the NBA's best players because he's yet to win a championship, Mitchell said, per HoodiGarland's X, formerly Twitter.

“I truly believe the only reason he’s not talked about like LeBron and KD is because of championship conversations,” Mitchell said. “But I've known it from being around him. But when you're his teammate, I think it brings it to a whole different level, and I said that last playoffs. Just seeing him in camp, seeing his influence on the group, seeing his conversations, seeing his passion behind his intention in trying to be the best at what he does, really put into perspective how BS a lot of narratives are.

“You really don't truly understand something until you see it. Understanding, sure, he hasn't won a championship or whatever, but he was one little inch away from being in the Finals on year. The other year, CP [Chris Paul] gets hurt. Situational things. So many things that play into it. I don't think it's just him. I think you can see his level of hunger.”

“I truly believe the only reason he’s not talked about like LeBron and KD is because of championship convos.”

– Donovan Mitchell on James Harden

(Via @HoodiGarland ) pic.twitter.com/vGB3EFJNvr

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 7, 2026

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Donovan Mitchell says James Harden does an exceptional job of staying late after practices and holding his teammates accountable during Harden's first training camp with the Cavs. Harden was traded from the LA Clippers ahead of last season's trade deadline.