The inaugural NBA Awards had their ups and downs, but there were plenty of memorable moments from the league's first attempt at an awards show. Drake exceeded expectations as a host and kept the mood in the room light, not backing down from an opportunity to roast some of the NBA's best players.
But if you're looking for the most meme-worthy moment of the night, there was only one choice. When Nicki Minaj took the stage to perform a series of songs dissing rival rapper Remy Ma, she won over one fan in particular—MVP candidate and Rockets guard James Harden. Harden stared on intently during Minaj's performance, looking like an exuberant boyfriend as he clapped for Nicki.
Twitter wasn't about to let The Beard get away with this one. As soon as he was spotted looking so eager, the public was happy to turn him into a punch line.
Cold-hearted observers went a step further, comparing Harden's glee during the performance to his anguish after he lost out on the MVP award to Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.
On one hand, you would think a man of Harden's stature would be a little more coy about the whole thing. This isn't the first time he's been around a celebrity before, so you would expect him to avoid melting into a puddle just because he's in the same room with Nicki . At the same time, it's Nicki! So I can understand finding yourself a little lost in the moment.
The next time Harden decides he's going to gaze lovingly at Nicki, perhaps he should just wait until he's in a more private setting. Although, given his track record with famous and beautiful women, he probably doesn't need anyone else's advice here.
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