James Harden weighs in on his disrespectful NBA 2K25 rating

I still remember when people thought video games, sports or otherwise, were a fad. We now live in an era in which NBA players know their NBA 2K ratings and journalists ask questions about them. Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden received an 84 overall in NBA 2K25, his lowest rating since 2012 when he hadn't begun his superstar journey yet.

Fans began voicing their disagreement as soon as the ratings were revealed. But it's not just fans that are upset, some of the experts are as well. Former NBA star and podcaster Stephen Jackson declared Harden should still be in the 90s.

Jason Bristol, reporter for Houston's KHOU, put the question to the man himself and asked him if he had any thoughts about the rating.

"Nah, I don't," he said. "I'm gonna show them on the court. I don't really care about a rating."

This is a refreshing change of pace, especially for Harden who usually seems to care a lot about feeling disrespected. As I mentioned, he's got plenty of people willing to fight this battle with 2K on his behalf.

NBA 2K games, in fact most sports titles at this point, dynamically update ratings during the season. So if Harden shows his typical All-Star form those numbers will get adjusted. It shows just how much video games have permeated our culture. Many of us care about what game rating czars say just as much, or moreso, than the average talking head on ESPN.

We'll get to play with James Harden and all our favorite NBA stars really soon when NBA 2K25 releases Sept. 6 on PlayStation5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam on PC. on. If you pre-order before Sept. 5 you can get two days of early access. Who's ready to take it to the hoop?