“I’m just proud of him” – Harden talks about his special bond with “good luck charm” John Hao

People can argue all they want about Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden’s game and his legacy, but if there’s one thing that he deserves a ton of credit for, it’s that he’s great with fans. Over the years, regardless of where he plays, the Beard has consistently been one of those players who takes the time to sign autographs for fans and gives back to kids and communities.

And if you’ve followed Harden’s career for the last few years, you’ll know that he’s developed quite a special relationship with a fan named John Hao, who was one of the survivors of the Michigan State University shooting in 2023.

Hao has been a special guest of Harden’s since 2023, and Tuesday night at the Intuit Dome, he was in attendance as the Clippers took on the visiting Houston Rockets. It was a good night for John, James, and the L.A. squad, as the home team pulled out a 128-108 win that can be considered a massive upset, considering how poorly the Clips have been playing this season.

With his so-called “lucky charm” looking on, Harden put on a vintage performance, scoring 29 points to go with six assists, four rebounds, and two steals.

Harden says Hao’s strength motivates him

After the big win over the Rockets, Harden spoke about his relationship with Hao and how the fan has become a source of motivation for him.

“He had something that was literally life-changing happen to him, and for him to still be strong enough, we talked before the game and he’s about to get his Masters, he’s working towards it. That’s just something… you know, first of all, I don’t even have a college degree,” Harden said. “For someone to have something that’s life-changing and still has the motivation to keep pushing and keep going, that motivates me to just keep pushing in whatever obstacles I feel like I’m going through in life.”

It’s not often that NBA players, especially one of Harden’s stature, get to develop a relationship with fans, which just speaks to the profound impact that Hao and his story may have had on the former league MVP.

“Strong human being, strong man, and I’m just proud of him,” James added.

How Harden and Hao linked up

Back in 2023, Michigan State University was rocked by a gunman opening fire inside the campus. The shooting claimed the lives of three students, while five others were wounded, one of whom was Hao, who ended up getting paralyzed from the chest down.

James found out that John was a big fan of his and immediately reached out.

“I heard that he was a fan of mine, so I wanted to get up on that ASAP and just see what I could do, anything I could do,”Harden said in an interview with ESPN back in 2023. “The more I can encourage and rub off this energy that I have and give him hope, I feel like that’s what I’m here for, and that’s what I’ve got this platform for.”

Since then, Harden has kept in touch with Hao, sending him gear, contributing to his GoFundMe, and consistently inviting him to games.

John was also there when James dropped 42 points, including the game-winner against the Celtics in Game 4 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals, while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. After the game, Harden called Hao a “lucky charm”.

Two years later, Hao is still a regular guest in Harden’s games, and their bond remains strong.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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