NBA star James Harden joins Saks board of directors
Brooklyn Nets hoopster James Harden has joined the board of the Saks luxury fashion site, even as he becomes one of its financial backers, the company said on Monday.
Three-time NBA scoring champion James Harden is known for his leadership and decision-making skills on the court. Now, he’ll get a chance to put those qualities to use off the court.
The company said in a statement that Harden “brings expertise in helping to grow high-potential consumer brands combined with a unique perspective as a notable fashion enthusiast.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time with James talking about fashion,” Saks Executive Chairman Richard Baker told Bloomberg News. “It’s good to have board members and ownership that are focused and motivated to grow the business.”
The NBA superstar approached Saks Fifth Avenue chairman Richard Baker about investing in Saks after it was announced in March that the luxury retailer was splitting the stores from the online business, Baker told The Post.
“I told him we didn’t need any investors,” Baker said. But the two men began a series of conversations, and “I was impressed with his love of fashion, so I invited him to become an investor on one condition, that he join the board,” Baker said.
Harden also is an investor in brands including Therabody, BodyArmor, Art of Sport and fragrance company Pura, where he serves as creative director. He also has a sneaker and apparel line with Adidas.
The Saks e-commerce site recently spun off from the Saks Fifth Avenue retail chain as a separately run company, though consumers can still find much of the same merchandise at Saks as at the chain’s 40 brick-and-mortar stores, which accept returns from the digital business.
“This is an exciting opportunity for me to combine two of my personal passions — a love of fashion and teaming up with brands that have the potential to lead while making an impact on the communities they serve,” said Harden, who is known off the court for his fashion sense.
Harden, who once dated Khloe Kardashian among a string of other celebrities, is one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers and is a nine-time NBA an all-star.
The separation of Saks.com, which has about $1 billion in annual sales, and is a privately held company was, in part, a response to the online sales growth the company experienced during the pandemic.
Harden joins six other Saks board members — all of whom are men so far — including Saks chief executive Marc Metrick and executive chairman Richard Baker. Two executives from investor Insight Partners — Deven Parekh and Adam Berger — and Franz-Ferdinand Buerstedde of Rhone Capital are also on the board.
James Harden
 Harden with the Houston Rockets in 2019
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| No. 13 – Brooklyn Nets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard / Point guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 26, 1989 Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Artesia (Lakewood, California) |
| College | Arizona State (2007–2009) |
| NBA draft | 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall |
| Selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder | |
| Playing career | 2009–present |
| Career history | |
| 2009–2012 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2012–2021 | Houston Rockets |
| 2021–present | Brooklyn Nets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers and has been called the best shooting guard in the NBA, as well as one of the top overall players in the league.
He played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils, where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden was selected with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2012, he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the Thunder and helped the team reach the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat in five games.
Unhappy with his role playing behind team stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, he refused a contract extension offer from the Thunder, who traded him to the Houston Rockets before the 2012–13 season. In his first season with the team he set or matched several team records and was named to his first All-NBA Team (a third-team selection), as well as his first NBA All-Star team. Over the next seven and a half seasons with the team he would lead the league in scoring three times and assists once, and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2018. During his time in Houston, he was named to eight consecutive NBA All-Star teams and earned All-NBA Team honors seven times, including six first-team selections. In the beginning of the 2020–21 season, Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a four-team trade. With the Nets, he was named to his ninth consecutive All-Star game.
Harden is a two-time member of the United States national team, winning gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Harden is the youngest of three children. Before his birth, after that of his older sister, their mother suffered a string of miscarriages. Harden is a Christian. He has talked about his faith, saying, “I just want to thank God for everything he has done in my life”.[210] Harden started growing his trademark beard in 2009 after being too lazy to shave. His beard has appeared in songs and T-shirts, and it earned him an endorsement and a unique candy with Trolli’s where a depiction of his face and beard was shown on each gummy.
On August 3, 2015, the sports apparel company Adidas submitted an endorsement deal to Harden worth $200 million over the next 13 years. On July 18, 2019, Harden became a part owner in Houston’s professional soccer teams; the Houston Dynamo of MLS and the Houston Dash of NWSL. Harden explained his decision by saying “Houston is my home now, and I saw this as a way to invest in my city and expand my business interests at the same time”[216] as well as “This is my city and I’m here to stay”
