About two years ago, I was in Atlanta with James Harden — back when James and I were teammates on the Rockets. We were at warmups, and I saw the free throw line. I mean it was real nice. And I turned to James, and I said, “Hey James, you like shooting free throws?” And he said, “Yeah, those are fly.” I just couldn’t stop admiring the line.

They were hard to shoot, though — and this was when I was brand new to the League, not yet established. So I didn’t have the kind of playing time where I could expect to shoot free throws. But I still kept looking at the line, sizing it up, just, you know … taking it in. It was this aspirational thing.

And before I knew it, James looked at me and he went, “Hey man, shoot a free throw. Throw them it there at the line.” And I asked him, “What? What do you mean?” And he was like, “Go up there and shoot them for me. I’ll give ’em to you.” You might think that that sort of thing happens in the League all the time, but trust me, it doesn’t. James is one of the real ones. I was so appreciative.