James Harden, parents.

James Harden is full of black words - and I'm not being metaphorical. Those vocabulary words are as weird as the 26-year-old is, all self-reliant. No one understands those words except the four friends he made at his hometown Compton High School.

In his vocabulary, the noun "chug" means woman (?). "Are we inviting some chug?" is his go-to question), the adjective fa'lo means extremely cool, and the phrase sah-dah-tay means "agree. -The word actually comes from the 2001 movie, "The Ghostbusters". For some outsiders, these words are really hard to understand. "I don't even want to get it, man," said Harden's brother, Akili Robertson. But for a hairy, identifiable NBA superstar with a particularly keen public **** life, these secret languages do come in handy.

Time back in August, in Houston, on a very hot and humid afternoon, the Rockets guard and I (meaning the writer himself) were picking up lunch takeout from Hercules Coffee House. By the time I figure out how to open the door of his red-and-black Rolls-Royce Gusto, a crowd has gathered around him. It should be noted that Harden has long been accustomed to wearing a hat when he goes out and his shirt is zipped all the way up to his chin. But this summer, at the mall, at the bowling alley, at the nightclub, the 6-foot-5 lefty has gotten used to the scene - Harden said, ? "They'll yell 'There's the beard! That bearded guy! Mom, Dad, there's the beard!'"

The crowd gathered just like that: two frightened Asian fans thanked him profusely; waiters gathered, stretched their heads, and pulled out their cell phones; a chef came out and handed Harden a business card with a Web address that resembled a muscle-stimulating machine; and, a mother holding her child came up on her nervous husband's behalf... ......... By the time the waiter brought up the Buffalo chicken tacos and crab cakes, Harden, dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and blue gym shorts, had already had his picture taken with 16 people.

Three years ago, playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was honored as the league's Sixth Man of the Year, and this past July, he won his first NBA Players Union Most Valuable Player award. Yes, that is why he is so popular. In addition, dating Khloe Kardashian, who hails from one of the most famous families on the planet, has rocketed him from a Houston player to a household public figure. Two months ago, he left Nike and signed a 13-year deal worth $200 million with Adidas, leapfrogging him to top basketball capitalist status (in 2012, he signed a five-year, $80 million max contract with the Rockets)? "I'm trying to be peaceful," Harden said, "but even if I order extra chicken with guacamole at Chipotle, people mob me."

Mind you, this is not a hypothetical scenario for Harden. A day before I met with him, TMZ posted a video of Harden and Kardashian leaving a Chipotle in Houston, reporting that their takeout bags contained? "A couple pieces of chicken, a large portion of guacamole and water." And according to reports from People.com, DailyMail.com and the Huffington Post and my own personal count, Harden was photographed in the Chipotle by at least five different cell phones, including one from behind the bar.

At the Hercules Cafe, Harden's mother, Monya Willis, arrived just in time to see the tail end of the impromptu photo op show with wary confusion.The single mom, who retired in 2009 from a three-decade stint as a service dispatcher for AT&T, and her son have been? "inseparable," Harden said. He bought his mother a house here, just 20 minutes from his three-story villa, which he bought for $2 million from retired Rockets player Cuttino Mobley. She not only serves as the mother of Harden's four best friends, but also of Houston's starting five.? "She coaches us on the sideline," Harden said, "and really just tells us to keep on keeping on."

"Of course, it depends on who you're talking to," Harden's mother, Monja, replied, "If it's Dwight Howard, I tell him to keep going. Or say, 'Bend your knees!' And then he did it! And the ball went in!" Nonetheless, Harden was careful to limit her mother's speech.? "He tells me to stay off Twitter, stay off Instagram," Monya admits, "It's really hard, and sometimes I have to keep my mouth shut," she pauses for a second, "Well, it's a lot of times. "

They all know that on the Internet, the Olympic gold medalist and three-time All-Star participant is often called out for basketball itself. The Internet is a place where the point guard who took his team to the Western Conference finals by himself is often compared to his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, Lamar Odom, rather than to Kobe Bryant. Mind you, the latter was his childhood idol. It was also on the Internet that news of a $200 million sneaker advertising contract - the ultimate bet on James Harden's image - spawned an important but unanswered question: who really wants to be like Harden?

Two

If one were to imagine what Rockets general manager Daryl Murray's ideal summer afternoon would look like, that person would probably picture him sitting in his office chair, his leather shoes cocked on the conference room table, watching a flat-screen TV, replaying Harden's highlights over and over again and gulping down a Surge drink. But you'd be wrong to think that.

Well, Murray only drinks Diet Surge.? "You gotta see this shot," he told me while sipping his drink,? "That ball is really awesome."

Last season, Harden averaged an all-around 27.4 points, seven assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. And when asked about the players on the court who actually influenced his play, Harden named three: Kobe's maniacal aggressiveness (no one fouled out more than Harden last season); Manu Ginobili's left-handed creativity (Harden's Euro-style demeanor is now the best in the league); and, Paul Pierce's pace, trash-talking and step-back jumpers. But it's the more extreme qualities of the latter's mental side that keep Morey, with the same lonely sense of integrity as Galileo discussing the Earth's orbit, constantly replaying the driving force behind this offensive and defensive transition that Harden has taken over.

"The number one thing I worry about is still the fact that there are people saying Harden is 'playing the game,'" Murray said, "and there are people saying he's getting a lot of free throws that don't belong to him." Last year, Harden booted a league-best 715 free throws, about 30 percent more than second-ranked Russell Westbrook. If Steph Curry represents the freewheeling creative spirit of this game, Harden is a 220-pound tax attorney - he plays with the letter of the law in a systematic way.

"I don't draw fouls on purpose," Harden said solemnly, "but if somebody can't guard you, he has to foul you. Otherwise I'm going to score. Every, single, time."

On Murray's flat-screen TV, I kept seeing Harden dribbling around opponents, powering down the wing, drawing defenders into digging for the ball, then twisting his body as if flashing out of the subway during rush hour -- his every stride was brilliant. But there's no denying that Harden seems to be extraordinarily concerned about the referees' whistles. If you like to watch free throws, James Harden is definitely for you.

There's a thread on Deadspin that calls Harden? "disgustingly talented." And Vice said that? "Only people who suck and Houstonians love him." Murray himself called Harden? "the most watched guy in the league" because of the constant barrage of arbitration protests from Rockets critics and detractors. Though no one was more enthusiastic than the Rockets GM about? "Vote Harden as MVP," privately, Morey confessed to his commanding general that the presence of so much derision made it impossible for him to win the award. Adding to Harden's anxiety is the fact that Curry received 77 percent of the first-place votes in last season's MVP balloting, compared to his 19 percent, a far cry.

Three weeks after the MVP award was named, the Rockets lost 90-104 to the Warriors in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, with Harden playing poorly, going 2 for 11 from the field with 12 turnovers. Just days after he put up 45-9-5 in a Game 4 home victory, the Rockets' season came to an end.? "I was annoyed that I made mistakes that I normally wouldn't have made that day," Harden recalled, "and this is the end of a year of hard work? That loss affected me more than any other loss." In the road locker room, Harden broke down and cried.

I asked Morey what he recalled at the mention of Harden's tears. He said he'd found Harden crying in the locker room two years in a row, the last time being Portland in 2014 - Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs, when Harden scored 34 points but the Rockets were knocked out of the tournament by a 3-point shutout by the Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard.

After that setback, Harden made two goals for himself: first, he wanted to improve his lax defense and stop keeping his eye on the ball (last season, he finished 10th in the league in success rate on the defensive end); second, he wanted to improve his right-handedness. As for now, I asked about Harden's plans for the 2015-16 season, but what he said was unexpected.

"I want to do more running without the ball," he told me. In addition, he wants to join the 50-40-90 club - a range for players who maintain a 50 percent two-point shooting percentage, a 40 percent three-point shooting percentage, and a 90 percent free-throw shooting percentage throughout a season, something only six players in NBA history have ever done. Yes, after becoming the player with the most assisted 3-pointers in a single season in franchise history, Harden wants to turn over the organizational offense to point guard Ty Lawson, who, mind you, is the same player Harden urged Murray to sign in July. "He's very good at self-promotion." Murray said so.

In fact, Harden has always been that way. Harden's family said that as a young, short, chubby man, he carried a basketball with him everywhere he went: in the car, at church, even when he slept in bed. One night before school, the then ninth-grader wrote a note to his mom, which 12 years later, Monya removed from the top of a closet in his Houston home. On the note, these lines were written -

Can you wake me up at 7 a.m.

Can you give me a couple of bucks

PS: Save this paper, I'll be a star.

Three

There's a massive 100,000-square-foot warehouse outside of Houston called Legends Stadium, and by the back wall of the stadium, Khloe Kardashian sits in an iron folding chair, calmly using a sign that says ? "Reserved" on a white card fanning herself. I can't tell you how many times she's been to an event like this: a middle-aged man named Wally yelling at 250 kids? "Rip! Push! Lift!" , while Djnigo's "Its Going Down for Real" on the radio still vibrates the skulls of hungry volunteers. But here she is, the celebrity wearing a pre-customized Nike T-shirt like everyone else on the morning of the 2015 James Harden Basketball Pro Camp event.

No entourage, no cameras, no security - except for Monya, who sat by the Kardashians and stopped those who wanted to take photos like Mossad.? "No way! No way! No way!" After seeing one of the training camp employees trying to take a picture, Monya stopped him just in time.

Monya's protective behavior is traditional, stemming in part from her personal life in South Los Angeles. She was never married to James Harden Sr. who was also jailed from time to time for drug problems, and eventually, Harden Sr. disappeared from James Harden Jr.'s life altogether. In addition, two of Monya's brothers died in separate 1993 homicides. In contrast, Haden's life was much more cozy, and even his nickname? is "Lucky." In the family, Haden is the youngest of Monya's three children, 10 years apart from the oldest.? "I'm both mom and dad," Monya often says. By one estimate, she attends 90 percent of James Harden's home games.

Harden was a substitute on a U.S. Amateur Athletic Union team in middle school, but he rarely played. By the time he got to Artesia High School, coach Pera was using fast food to lure Harden to improve his game - if the chubby rookie could make at least six free throws a game, he got to fill his belly for free (now we know who to blame for Harden's love of free throws). At Arizona State, Harden was named to the All-American team, and at the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden was honored as the NBA's best sixth man.? Yes, Monya was there when all of the above happened. "If he played with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, he would never get the ball," Monya said, "and he was always told at the time, we don't want you to flash. We just want you to be team players. So, Harden ended up coming to Houston, and now, he's flashing."

The James Harden Basketball Pro Camp was packed, charging $199 per camper for a day when 500 kids would participate in two activities: mimicking Harden's backpedal and learning his small-control twist. Later, these kids begin to mimic Harden's signature celebratory move, lifting their left hand and stirring an invisible jar. Their parents stood by the sideline, cameras raised, wearing ? "Watch out for this bearded guy" and? "The Real King James" T-shirts (oh yeah, his name is James Harden).

At one point, Wally picked a bunch of campers to go one-on-one with Harden. One kid, less than 10 years old, was asked how much Harden should pay him if he scored, and he said, ? "I want the payoff Harden got for signing with Adidas." But in the end, Harden gave him only $200.

After Adidas signed Harden, a company spokeswoman cited the All-Star's "looks and style on and off the court." But just three years ago, he definitely didn't look like a money-making machine for the brand's company. Since attending Arizona State University, the bearded man has been growing a mustache, and today, the set is nearly as long as his face. When Harden signed his contract with three years ago, a PR rep even suggested to Murray that if? "Harden's agent knows what he's doing, he should tell him to shave his beard because he's not going to get any sponsorships that way." Of course, it's hard to imagine at this point that Harden's one-ticket sponsors (Adidas, Foot Locker, New Era, BodyArmor, 2K Games, BBVA, Panini, Taco Bell, KT Tape) would be OK with him shaving off his beard.

Do you want to go from obscurity to world-wide fame? Then go grow the most famous beard in sports history. Regarding my question about the aesthetics of Adidas sneakers, Harden retorted with a question:? "When was the last time you saw me plain and ordinary?"

"Every day you have people arguing about you, you have people talking about you," Harden said,? "I think that's a good thing. If people forget about you? Then you're the one who should be worried." Of course, the woman he's now dating undoubtedly knows more about that logic.

Four

I saw Harden again last month, when he was milling around his home in Calabasas, 30 miles from Hollywood, standing on a two-wheeled balance bike - the kind that everyone with a million followers on Instagram seems to have. A month after basketball camp, he made headlines for his 26th birthday party, which featured yachts, fireworks and a messy Kanye West and Chris Jenner. However, since he's signed with Adidas, TMZ has heavily covered stories about him wearing Nike shoes in public (Harden's deal with Nike expires Sept. 30).

Harden is rich enough that it seems reasonable to keep a money counting machine in the dining room. While Beyoncé wore a dress designed from his jersey at the concert, the most exciting moment I've seen him in is now - quite simply, when he saw the bar at the Chipotle restaurant that ESPN had set up for the photo-op.? "I'm going!" Haden kept laughing,? "I can't believe I have Chipotle in my house now! Who did this!"

The Mediterranean-style, five-bedroom house has a bit of a "Kid Rich" movie feel to it, as if a very smart kid has taken over someone else's wealth. The man who rented the villa to Haden is an upper-class man with "Doctor of the Year" honors. The house is built on a 25,000-square-foot lot, and when you stand inside, you have a beautiful panoramic view of the cloud-covered Santa Monica Mountains. The house has a large pool and a custom movie theater. There is an olive tree on the entrance way and black olives fall to the ground, which squeak when visitors step on them. Few things in this villa are his, except for the Xbox that is running FIFA 2016 - Harden has to say a word every time he manages to break the ball? "Cookies" - he's playing the game with a group of friends in the living room.

In fact, Harden rents a house in a different part of Southern California at the end of each season, but there's something really special about this place. Calabasas is known for its large celebrity population, with gossip-industry favorites like Justin Bieber, Will Smith, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, several members of Michael Jackson's family, Kanye West and the entire Kardashian clan all settling there. For better or worse, Calabasas is the center of contemporary American celebrity.

After Harden had his hairdresser clean up his mohawk and put on a fashionable outfit (red Raf Simons shirt, Del Toro shoes, black Balmain denim), I couldn't help but wonder in the back of my mind, "How much of all this is just a superficial ploy? How much of this booming industry is really his stuff?"

In conversation, Harden seemed to anticipate such suspicions. He told me he was "a fun-loving, caring and free spirit." He's built his brand by being "different," but he specifically added, "I'm not different on purpose. Because that's who I am."

I did find it hard to find evidence to counter this. I asked people around him about all this self-made language, and apparently the words also baffled the Rockets' publicist and his publicist. I asked his agent, Rob Pelinka, about Harden's enormous financial value, and he said, "It's not, 'Let's think about what the world needs, and then you become that.' Rather, it's, 'If that's what makes you special, if that makes you feel like you can be Superman, we're not going to stop you from wearing red leggings and having an S logo on your chest.'"

Five

Harden speaks a homemade language with four buddies he's known since junior high school; he's excited about the presence of Chipotle in his house (a silver Rolls-Royce Phantom is parked in the driveway). All summer long, he's been straightening his upper jaw with Invisalign.

So when you ask Harden if he's systematically molding his image, it's like asking him if he's deliberately drawing fouls on the court. He's making exactly the choices that an ambitious bench player trying to turn into a big-time star would make, and given that, it doesn't matter whether he admits it or not. He will dominate and dictate the game, fulfill prophecies, and deliver on promises. He turned the Internet, a place that demeaned him, into a place that made him a superstar.

The morning after the photo was taken, I saw that TMZ had just uploaded video of Harden leaving a Hollywood club, getting into an SUV with the gang of friends he'd been playing FIFA with when we'd only been apart for a few hours. The video was captioned, "James Harden - Bullseye's drunken proclamation to make Adidas colorful." After being hounded by waiting paparazzi, Harden is heard asking the question posed by a reporter: Does wearing Nike shoes put new sponsor Adidas off? Then, Harden responded in a statement peppered with self-made language, "$200 million! Nike is cool, but Adidas is going to come out on top." Finally, he yelled "Swag" and rolled up the window.

Who knows how many pairs of shoes this 26-year-old will sell for Adidas? But there's no doubt that Harden, far from the mundane and the ordinary, has the kind of branding that traditional American celebrities bring to the table with unabashed desire and lucrative hustle. Perhaps exchanging public attention for money is his most direct and effective way to get from Compton to Calabasas.

Yes, the discussion of "who wants to be like James Harden" begs another question: how many people don't want to be James Harden at this moment?