Back to the Houston Rockets Newsfeed

The best parts of ESPN the Magazine's James Harden cover story

John Milton once wrote, "Fame is no plant that grows on mortal soil," and nowhere is that more evident today than in the world of professional sports.

In the NBA, young men step in to battle fully mature giants in an exhibition of speed, power, size and skill that 99.9 percent of us can only dream of partaking in. And watching one of those young players develop into something even your normal NBA-er can't match, let alone us mere mortals, is one of the more rewarding experiences as a basketball fan.

It's the pinnacle of achievement, but such success and notoriety never comes without it's fair set of challenges as well.