In the pantheon of NBA left-handers, one name sparks more debate than any other: James Harden.

A championship still remains elusive, but the 36-year-old point guard is a former MVP, an 11-time NBA All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA Team member, a three-time scoring champion and one of the best left-handed players in the history of the sport. 

His left hand is the engine behind one of the most aesthetically unique offensive games the league has ever seen — a style that looks like poetry in motion every time he rises to shoot. He has scored over 28,000 points, which makes him the ninth all-time leading scorer in the league’s history. From a scoring standpoint, his left-handedness is unmatched seeing how the eight players above him are predominantly right-handed.

The NBA has seen a solid number of dominant left-handed superstars over the years. They give Harden a good run for his money when put side by side. 

David Robinson was one. The San Antonio Spurs icon had a deadly left-handed mid-range game that crumbled defenses and added another dimension to his two-way dominance. He averaged  21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game over his career, won the Rookie of the Year, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year honors, and two championships.

Then came Manu Ginobili, who weaponized his left hand in an entirely different way. He won four rings for San Antonio, but his euro-step is remembered as one of the most effective offensive moves, especially when he combined it with a sweet lefty kiss off the glass. 

Chris Mullin, one of the game’s original pure shooters, built a Hall of Fame career on elite shot-making and basketball IQ, owning one of the smoothest left-handed strokes the league has ever seen.

When you stack Harden against this pantheon of other legendary left-handers, the future Hall of Famer has a strong case for being the best of that category. However, one name towers above them all.

That name is Bill Russell, the man who anchored the greatest dynasty in sports history and remains the gold standard of winning basketball.

Why Russell is Undeniably the Greatest Lefty Ever

Harden has one of the most brilliant offensive games the NBA has seen; he revolutionized how guards operate in pick-and-roll, mastered the step-back 3, and posted historic usage rates while maintaining relative efficiency. Yet his playoff resume has holes no matter how anyone wants to paint it — no championship, multiple early exits and criticisms of iso-heavy play that sometimes stalled offenses in crunch time.

Russell, on the other hand, won 11 championships; granted, it doesn’t seem fair to only put championships on the table. So, the Boston Celtics icon is also one of the most technically gifted superstars to play the game. He earned five MVP awards and 11 All-NBA Teams. He wasn’t as offense-oriented as Harden, averaging just 15.1 points per game over his 13-year NBA career, but was the same guy who was giving Mr. Physical Freak himself (Wilt Chamberlain) a world of trouble in their head-to-head matchups.

Russell is quite easily the greatest rebounder to ever step foot on the hardwood. He averaged 22.5 rebounds per game, second only to Chamberlain all-time. His 11 titles came against stacked competition in Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and a host of others. Boston won with Russell as the defensive anchor and emotional leader. His left-handed hook shots in the post were money when needed, but his true genius was on the other end with nonstop defensive energy and motor. 

Blocks and steals weren’t measured as a major stat in that era; Russell would have record-breaking numbers. Harden excels in offensive win shares; he is a top-tier lefty, maybe even the best offensive left-hander ever (playoff Ginobili may have something to say about that), but Russell’s total contribution to winning sets a bar Harden will not be able to clear.

There is the era factor, because Harden is a product of the fast-paced and shooting era, hence his high volume in production.

Russell’s era is perhaps the most dismissed of them all, but it means something to be one of the very first to capture multiple MVP awards, titles, All-NBA selections, the whole nine.