James Harden vs. Nene Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Nene and James Harden, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Games against each other

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

James Harden played 15 years in the NBA, 2 less than Nene, who played 17. James Harden had the first of his seasons in 2009-10, while Nene had his rookie season in 2002-03. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
James Harden 15 15 2009-10 to 2023-24
Nene 17 12 2002-03 to 2018-19

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17

Rookie Season

James Harden Nene
Season 2009-102002-03
Team Oklahoma City ThunderDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Rookie Second Team-
Playoffs Thunder Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 76 22.9 9.9 0.6 2.6 3.2 1.8 1.1 0.3 1.4 2.6 3.1 7.6 .403 1.2 3.3 .375 2.6 3.2 .808
Nene 80 28.2 10.5 2.6 3.5 6.1 1.9 1.6 0.8 2.3 3.7 4.0 7.7 .519 0.0 0.0 .000 2.5 4.3 .578
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 6 20.0 7.7 0.2 2.3 2.5 1.8 1.0 0.2 0.5 2.3 2.0 5.2 .387 1.0 2.7 .375 2.7 3.2 .842
Nene ------- --- ----------

Season 2

James Harden Nene
Season 2010-112003-04
Team Oklahoma City ThunderDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Thunder Lost West Conf FinalsNuggets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 82 26.7 12.2 0.5 2.6 3.1 2.1 1.1 0.3 1.3 2.5 3.6 8.3 .436 1.4 4.0 .349 3.5 4.2 .843
Nene 77 32.5 11.8 2.0 4.5 6.5 2.2 1.5 0.5 2.4 3.6 4.3 8.2 .530 0.0 0.0 .000 3.1 4.6 .682
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 17 31.6 13.0 0.6 4.8 5.4 3.6 1.2 0.8 1.6 2.8 3.9 8.2 .475 1.4 4.5 .303 3.9 4.7 .825
Nene 5 26.6 7.8 2.4 2.6 5.0 3.0 1.0 0.6 1.8 4.4 3.2 7.2 .444 0.0 0.0 - 1.4 2.6 .538

Season 3

James Harden Nene
Season 2011-122004-05
Team Oklahoma City ThunderDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement Sixth Man of the Year-
Playoffs Thunder Lost NBA FinalsNuggets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 62 31.4 16.8 0.5 3.6 4.1 3.7 1.0 0.2 2.2 2.4 5.0 10.1 .491 1.8 4.7 .390 5.0 6.0 .846
Nene 55 23.9 9.6 1.9 4.0 5.9 1.5 0.9 0.9 1.7 3.0 3.5 7.0 .503 0.0 0.0 .000 2.5 3.9 .660
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 20 31.5 16.3 0.7 4.5 5.1 3.4 1.6 0.1 2.1 3.4 4.7 10.7 .435 1.6 3.9 .410 5.4 6.3 .857
Nene 5 20.0 6.6 1.8 3.2 5.0 0.4 0.4 0.4 1.0 3.2 1.8 4.2 .429 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 4.6 .652

Season 4

James Harden Nene
Season 2012-132005-06
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 78 38.3 25.9 0.8 4.1 4.9 5.8 1.8 0.5 3.8 2.3 7.5 17.1 .438 2.3 6.2 .368 8.6 10.2 .851
Nene 1 3.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 .000 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 6 40.5 26.3 0.8 5.8 6.7 4.5 2.0 1.0 4.5 3.0 7.5 19.2 .391 2.5 7.3 .341 8.8 11.0 .803
Nene ------- --- ----------

Season 5

James Harden Nene
Season 2013-142006-07
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdNuggets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 73 38.0 25.4 0.8 3.9 4.7 6.1 1.6 0.4 3.6 2.4 7.5 16.5 .456 2.4 6.6 .366 7.9 9.1 .866
Nene 64 26.8 12.2 2.3 4.7 7.0 1.2 1.0 0.9 2.0 3.3 4.6 8.1 .570 0.0 0.0 .000 3.0 4.4 .689
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 6 43.8 26.8 0.8 3.8 4.7 5.8 2.0 0.2 3.5 3.5 8.3 22.2 .376 2.7 9.0 .296 7.5 8.3 .900
Nene 5 35.8 15.2 4.4 3.4 7.8 2.4 0.6 0.6 2.6 4.2 6.2 10.6 .585 0.0 0.0 - 2.8 3.6 .778

Season 6

James Harden Nene
Season 2014-152007-08
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf FinalsNuggets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 81 36.8 27.4 0.9 4.7 5.7 7.0 1.9 0.7 4.0 2.6 8.0 18.1 .440 2.6 6.9 .375 8.8 10.2 .868
Nene 16 16.6 5.3 1.9 3.6 5.4 0.9 0.6 0.9 1.3 2.9 1.8 4.4 .408 0.0 0.1 .000 1.7 3.1 .551
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 17 37.4 27.2 0.7 5.0 5.7 7.5 1.6 0.4 4.5 2.9 7.6 17.3 .439 2.4 6.3 .383 9.6 10.5 .916
Nene 3 10.0 4.3 1.0 1.3 2.3 0.3 0.7 0.3 0.7 2.7 1.7 3.0 .556 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 1.0 1.000

Season 7

James Harden Nene
Season 2015-162008-09
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf 1st RdNuggets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 82 38.1 29.0 0.8 5.3 6.1 7.5 1.7 0.6 4.6 2.8 8.7 19.7 .439 2.9 8.0 .359 8.8 10.2 .860
Nene 77 32.6 14.6 2.4 5.4 7.8 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.9 3.6 5.6 9.2 .604 0.0 0.1 .200 3.5 4.8 .723
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 5 38.6 26.6 1.4 3.8 5.2 7.6 2.4 0.2 5.2 2.6 8.2 20.0 .410 2.6 8.4 .310 7.6 9.0 .844
Nene 16 32.8 11.5 2.3 5.2 7.5 2.6 1.3 0.6 1.9 4.1 4.3 7.9 .548 0.0 0.0 - 2.9 4.4 .657

Season 8

James Harden Nene
Season 2016-172009-10
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Assists Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf SemisNuggets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 81 36.4 29.1 1.2 7.0 8.1 11.2 1.5 0.5 5.7 2.7 8.3 18.9 .440 3.2 9.3 .347 9.2 10.9 .847
Nene 82 33.6 13.8 2.0 5.6 7.6 2.5 1.4 1.0 1.5 3.4 5.1 8.7 .587 0.0 0.0 .000 3.6 5.1 .704
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 11 37.0 28.5 0.6 4.8 5.5 8.5 1.9 0.5 5.4 3.9 8.2 19.8 .413 2.9 10.5 .278 9.2 10.5 .878
Nene 5 33.8 11.4 1.6 4.2 5.8 2.2 1.2 0.2 0.8 3.4 3.6 5.8 .621 0.0 0.0 - 4.2 7.2 .583

Season 9

James Harden Nene
Season 2017-182010-11
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf FinalsNuggets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 72 35.4 30.4 0.6 4.8 5.4 8.8 1.8 0.7 4.4 2.3 9.0 20.1 .449 3.7 10.0 .367 8.7 10.1 .858
Nene 75 30.5 14.5 1.9 5.7 7.6 2.0 1.1 1.0 1.8 3.2 5.4 8.7 .615 0.0 0.1 .200 3.8 5.4 .711
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 17 36.5 28.6 0.8 4.4 5.2 6.8 2.2 0.6 3.8 2.7 9.3 22.6 .410 3.1 10.2 .299 6.9 7.8 .887
Nene 5 32.4 14.2 2.8 6.2 9.0 1.6 1.0 0.8 1.6 3.4 4.4 9.2 .478 0.0 0.0 - 5.4 9.6 .563

Season 10

James Harden Nene
Season 2018-192011-12
Team Houston RocketsDenver Nuggets, Washington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 78 36.8 36.1 0.8 5.8 6.6 7.5 2.0 0.7 5.0 3.1 10.8 24.5 .442 4.8 13.2 .368 9.7 11.0 .879
Nene 39 28.5 13.7 1.6 5.8 7.5 2.1 1.1 1.0 2.5 2.4 5.4 10.1 .537 0.0 0.1 .000 2.9 4.3 .673
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 11 38.5 31.6 0.8 6.0 6.8 6.6 2.2 0.9 4.6 3.7 9.9 24.0 .413 4.4 12.5 .350 7.5 8.9 .837
Nene ------- --- ----------

Season 11

James Harden Nene
Season 2019-202012-13
Team Houston RocketsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Rockets Lost West Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 68 36.5 34.3 1.0 5.5 6.6 7.5 1.8 0.9 4.5 3.3 9.9 22.3 .444 4.4 12.4 .355 10.2 11.8 .865
Nene 61 27.2 12.6 1.7 5.0 6.7 2.9 0.9 0.6 2.3 2.8 4.7 9.7 .480 0.0 0.0 .000 3.2 4.4 .729
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 12 37.3 29.6 1.0 4.6 5.6 7.7 1.5 0.8 3.8 3.6 9.1 19.0 .478 3.3 9.8 .333 8.2 9.7 .845
Nene ------- --- ----------

Season 12

James Harden Nene
Season 2020-212013-14
Team Houston Rockets, Brooklyn NetsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Nets Lost East Conf SemisWizards Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 44 36.6 24.6 0.8 7.1 7.9 10.8 1.2 0.8 4.0 2.3 7.8 16.7 .466 2.8 7.6 .362 6.3 7.3 .861
Nene 53 29.4 14.2 1.2 4.3 5.5 2.9 1.2 0.9 2.2 3.1 5.6 11.2 .503 0.0 0.1 .200 2.9 5.0 .583
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 9 35.8 20.2 0.8 5.6 6.3 8.6 1.7 0.7 2.9 2.6 5.7 12.0 .472 2.7 7.3 .364 6.2 6.9 .903
Nene 10 32.5 13.7 0.8 4.5 5.3 2.6 0.9 1.1 1.7 3.6 6.4 13.8 .464 0.0 0.0 - 0.9 2.6 .346

Season 13

James Harden Nene
Season 2021-222014-15
Team Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ersWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisWizards Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 65 37.2 22.0 0.8 6.8 7.7 10.3 1.3 0.6 4.4 2.4 6.3 15.3 .410 2.3 6.9 .330 7.2 8.2 .877
Nene 67 25.3 11.0 1.3 3.9 5.1 1.8 1.0 0.3 1.9 2.7 4.6 9.0 .511 0.0 0.1 .200 1.8 3.0 .604
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 12 39.9 18.6 0.9 4.8 5.7 8.6 0.8 0.7 4.2 2.4 5.3 13.2 .405 2.3 6.3 .368 5.6 6.3 .893
Nene 10 25.7 7.9 2.5 4.1 6.6 1.5 0.9 0.3 1.4 3.2 3.4 7.6 .447 0.0 0.0 - 1.1 2.3 .478

Season 14

James Harden Nene
Season 2022-232015-16
Team Philadelphia 76ersWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement Assists Leader-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 58 36.8 21.0 0.7 5.4 6.1 10.7 1.2 0.5 3.4 1.9 6.4 14.5 .441 2.8 7.2 .385 5.4 6.2 .867
Nene 57 19.2 9.2 0.9 3.6 4.5 1.7 0.9 0.5 1.3 2.7 3.7 6.7 .544 0.0 0.1 .000 1.9 3.2 .578
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 11 38.8 20.3 0.5 5.6 6.2 8.3 1.8 0.4 3.2 2.5 6.5 16.6 .393 2.8 7.5 .378 4.4 5.0 .873
Nene ------- --- ----------

Season 15

James Harden Nene
Season 2023-242016-17
Team Los Angeles ClippersHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Clippers Lost West Conf 1st RdRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 72 34.3 16.6 0.5 4.7 5.1 8.5 1.1 0.8 2.6 1.8 4.9 11.4 .428 2.6 6.8 .381 4.2 4.8 .878
Nene 67 17.9 9.1 1.4 2.8 4.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 1.1 2.4 3.7 5.9 .617 0.0 0.1 .333 1.7 2.9 .589
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden 6 40.3 21.2 0.5 4.0 4.5 8.0 1.0 1.0 2.3 2.2 6.7 14.8 .449 3.0 7.8 .383 4.8 5.3 .906
Nene 9 17.9 10.0 1.2 3.4 4.7 0.6 0.7 0.4 1.0 2.7 4.0 5.7 .706 0.0 0.1 .000 2.0 3.4 .581

Season 16

James Harden Nene
Season -2017-18
Team -Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Rockets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden ------- --- ----------
Nene 52 14.6 6.5 1.0 2.3 3.4 0.9 0.5 0.3 0.7 2.4 2.6 4.6 .569 0.0 0.0 .000 1.3 2.1 .636
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden ------- --- ----------
Nene 11 9.7 2.8 0.5 2.0 2.5 0.5 0.2 0.5 0.7 1.6 1.1 1.8 .600 0.0 0.0 - 0.6 1.0 .636

Season 17

James Harden Nene
Season -2018-19
Team -Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Rockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden ------- --- ----------
Nene 42 13.0 3.6 0.8 2.1 2.9 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.3 2.1 1.4 2.8 .517 0.0 0.1 .000 0.7 1.1 .660
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
James Harden ------- --- ----------
Nene 7 7.6 3.9 1.3 0.7 2.0 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 1.0 1.4 1.4 1.000 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 1.3 .778