Giannis Downplays Beef with James Harden: 'I'm Just Trying to Do My Job'

James Harden did not hold back when talking to ESPN's Rachel Nichols about where he stands in today's NBA. The Houston Rockets superstar reiterated that he's the best player in the game and diminished the accomplishments of reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

"I wish I could just run and was 7-feet and run and just dunk," Harden said. "Like that takes no skill at all."

Ahead of the Bucks game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, Antetokounmpo had a chance to respond to Harden's comments:

"I'm not the type of guy to take stabs at somebody. ... I'm just trying to do my job which is win games and go back home to my family. At the end of the day, if that's what he believes that's what he believes. I can't say anything about it. I've just got to keep being focused."

The back-and-forth appears to stem from the 2020 NBA All-Star Draft when Inside the NBA's Charles Barkley joked about Antetokounmpo passing on Harden and referring to him as "the dribbler." 

"I want someone who is going to pass the ball," Antetokounmpo joked back. 

Harden wasn't laughing. 

"I have more assists than him," the Rockets guard told Nichols. "... I don't see what the joke is." 

Harden is averaging a league-best 36.7 points with 7.3 assists per game while Antetokounmpo averages 29.7 points and 5.8 assists.

But that all seems moot to the Bucks' superstar—especially as his team continues to run roughshod over the Eastern Conference. While Milwaukee remains the only team to have already clinched a playoff spot at 50-8 on the year, Houston (38-20) has needed to course correct a bit. The Rockets traded away big man Clint Capela, brought in Robert Covington and switched exclusively to a small-ball lineup with 6'5" P.J. Tucker as the man in the middle.

Harden also noted that he doesn't see anyone else getting double-teamed, which may be true, so long as he isn't reviewing defensive game footage around the league. 

Despite the comments directed at him, Antetokounmpo hardly seems fazed, so there's little chance this becomes a war of words. 

Instead, the reigning MVP will have to make his statements on the court and with the league trying to stop him. At least he and Harden have that in common.