James Harden Without a Beard Trends Before 2026-27 NBA Season

James Harden has rocked his signature beard from the moment he showed up in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But every year or two, there's a trending image that goes around of what Harden looks like without the thing that gave him his nickname, "The Beard."

Sometimes it's a very old picture of Harden, truly what he looked like before he got his beard.

Sometimes it's a look at some sort of altered or generated image. Now in the era of AI-generated pictures, it's easier than ever to imagine Harden without a beard, even if it can look a little bit fake.

On the eve of the 2026-27 NBA season, images have been circulating on social media of Harden without a beard. It has fans quite fired up.

One problem: They don't seem to be real.

There's nothing credible to suggest that Harden doesn't have his beard anymore.

There's just one image that doesn't look all that much like Harden that has managed to go viral like crazy in recent days on social media.

The image is going viral at accounts like this one:

If it doesn't display there, you can see it at this link .

There's one telling clue, though: The image appears to have originated with the account NBA Centel, which is a parody account that doesn't actually share real news but instead posts things for engagement and clout.

This post certainly worked out. It has gotten a ton of attention. It's just not true.

The fake post actually originated just a couple days after an official NBA social media account shared Harden's real feelings on his beard.

"Until I'm retired, I'm keeping the beard," Harden said in a video post:

Harden plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers now. He's been well-traveled since entering the NBA with the Thunder out of Arizona State.

But even more constant than his footwork in the lane, his ability to get to the foul line, his stepback 3-pointers and his great passing vision has been his beard.

Harden's teams hold promotions where they give out fake versions of his beard. There's only one guy known as "The Beard."

And the next time you see an image of supposedly Harden without his beard, know that it's not happening. He's keeping that beard on his face for as long as he's in the league.