Harden was referred to as a ‘stat monster’ by Cowherd, who tore into the Houston Rockets star on his show ‘The Herd’.
Rockets GM Daryl Morley claimed Harden was ‘in the conversation’ for who the best offensive player in NBA history is.
Over a spell of 10 games in December, Harden became the first player in the last 10 years to have scored 400 points in such a spell of games.
His heroics have led to him being tipped to reclaim the NBA Most Valuable Player award at the end of the season.
But Cowherd is not impressed, and went into detail as to why Morley’s claim should not be taken seriously.
“Daryl Morey said he’s the best ever, but I’m not comparing him to the best ever, because the best ever is Michael [Jordan] or Wilt [Chamberlain],” he explained.
“I’m only comparing him to Kobe [Bryant], as a scorer. As a scorer, does athleticism matter? Yes. James Harden has two moves, one of them is travelling.
“Kobe was the NBA’s picasso, Phil Mickelson is the greatest shot maker of all time, not the best player.
“But Michael Jordan had stock moves, so does LeBron, Harden has two. Kobe came down with a blank canvas and just made it up.
“Athletically, it is not close.”
Cowherd then tore into Harden’s personal life.
The superstar is known for his lavish personal life, and recently turned up to a game wearing a £10,000 unreleased Versace snakeskin short suit.
Cowherd continued: “Let’s talk commitment, does commitment matter? I think Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] was committed to the sport, I think Wilt was, I think Jordan was as committed as any player in NBA history.
“Harden had his jersey retired at a Houston strip club, Kobe has two retired at Staples.
”Kobe was the best practice player ever, and I am told Magic Johnson would tell you ‘it ain’t close’. Kobe Bryant in commitment is the most relentless practice player, the most intense off-camera performer.
“Harden, on the other hand, was traded by OKC for doubts over his commitment, and he showed that by turning up at a strip club in Houston an hour after being eliminated in a Play-Off series.
“I don’t need to compare him to the greatest, because he doesn’t even come close to one player, Kobe Bryant.”