James Harden inks 4-year contract extension with Rockets, richest in NBA history

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's official: James Harden is here to stay.

The Rockets guard signed a four-year contract extension on Saturday, the team announced. Harden's new contract runs through the 2022-23 season.

Harden, the runner-up for the NBA's MVP this season, has two years and $59 million left on his current contract. The four-year extension carries a value of $170 million and is the richest extension in the NBA history.

With the megadeal, Harden is taking advantage of brand new CBA rules that enable contract extensions for superstars. He became eligible to add four years to his deal after making the All-NBA team in May and the Rockets became focused on locking him into an extension after their season ended.

"It's my pleasure to announce we've reached an agreement with James Harden on a long-term contract extension. Since he arrived in Houston, James has exhibited the incredible work ethic, desire to win, and passion to be the best that has made him one of the most unique and talented superstars in the history of the game," Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said in a statement.

"Houston is home for me," Harden added. "Mr. Alexander has shown he is fully committed to winning and my teammates and I are going to keep putting in the work to get better and compete for the title."

Officials noted that the team has made the playoffs in all five of Harden's seasons in Houston. Harden is coming off a career-best season in which he averaged 29.1 points, a league-best 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. He finished as the runner-up to Russell Westbrook in the Most Valuable Player voting.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst contributed to this report.

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