"Disrespectful to Harden" - NBA fans react as Lamar Jackson draws James Harden parallels as NFL playoffs struggles continue

An account on X (formerly Twitter) compared Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson with LA Clippers guard James Harden. It said that Jackson ends up turning into Harden every time the NFL playoffs roll around.

As expected, the post became divisive among fans of both the NBA and the NFL.

Some fans posted that Harden is a better athlete than Jackson.

"That’s disrespectful to James Harden. At least he had a few amazing playoff games," one tweeted.

"Harden was much better in the playoffs," another said.

"Naw Harden had to go against the greatest team ever assembled," one fan commented.

Meanwhile, other fans gave their takes on who Jackson and Harden's comparisons are.

"Mahomes playstyle is closer to Hardens basketball playstyle if we're being honest," one chimed in.

"Man I’m so surprised you guys didn’t post Embiid," another said.

"Put Reggie Miller up there. He coming back this half," one wrote.

The post comparing Lamar Jackson to James Harden was made after Jackson's Ravens took on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round game.

The game came down to the wire, with the Ravens nearly tying the game on their last offensive drive. However, tight end Mark Andrews dropped a pass from Jackson on the two-point conversion that would have tied the game as the Bills held on for a 27-25 win.

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Lamar Jackson and James Harden have been the MVPs of their respective leagues

Comparing NBA and NFL players isn't easy. Basketball and football are two different sports, but James Harden and Lamar Jackson have a shared distinction: both have been voted the MVPs in their respective leagues.

Harden's lone MVP season happened in 2017-18, leading the Houston Rockets to a 65-17 record. He averaged a league-leading 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.8 steals.

The Rockets made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals where they faced a Golden State Warriors squad that had Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry. Harden and Co. forced a Game 7, which they lost.

Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson has been voted the NFL MVP twice. The first time he won the award was in 2019. That season, he led all QBs in touchdowns with 36 while only throwing six interceptions. Overall, he had a completion rate of 66.1%. He also led the league in QB rating with 83.0.

Interestingly, Harden was the runner-up to Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in MVP voting that season. Giannis finished with 78 first-place votes while Harden received 23.

Jackson's second MVP award came in 2023. That season, he threw 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a completion rate of 67.2%.

What makes Lamar Jackson a difficult player to guard is the fact that he's a dual-threat QB. Aside from being able to complete passes at a high rate, he's also great in gaining yards with his legs.

The first time he won the MVP, he rushed for a total of 1206 yards for a league-leading 6.9 yards per attempt. The second time he got the honor, he once again led the league in average yards per attempt, with 5.5 for a total of 821 rushing yards.