James Harden’s 15 greatest moments with the Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets moment #13: The infamous Wesley Johnson crossover

There are many a pair of ankles Harden has broken that could have been in this spot; Jamal Murray, Kent Bazemore, and Kyrie Irving being just a few contenders on that front. However, the crossover on Wesley Johnson is a particularly nasty one that stands out from the pack.

In a moment that has made its way to the front of tee shirts and phone cases, Harden managed to totally deactivate Johnson’s ability to remain standing on his own two feet. To make things worse (for Johnson at least), Harden proceeded to stare at Johnson and even lick his lips before draining a 3-pointer.

Harden himself claimed that he was not really thinking about it when he did that, but even if that is true it makes for a disrespectful moment nonetheless. Though it is not in the clip used here, many Rockets fans will always remember local announcer Craig Ackerman’s hilarious reaction of “Cleanup on aisle three! Cleanup on aisle three!” upon seeing the crossover.

The reactions from the players on the court, the announcers, the media, and the world of NBA Twitter that night say it all. From “oohs” and “ahs” in the audience to cringing from the opposing players to the national media making headlines of it the next day, the noise around this one was big.

The Beard has some of the best handles in the game, as any player who’s had to defend him will tell you. Wesley Johnson had to learn that in the hardest of ways, as he and NBA fans will not soon forget.

Next: No. 12