Sixers

Every Day, Daryl Morey Goes Home and Stares at a Life-sized Painting of James Harden

By Kyle Pagan

Published: Nov 2nd, 2023 · 10:57 AM EDT

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Imagine walking into your apartment every day and a life-sized portrait of your ex-wife is staring you back in the face after a brutal divorce. That’s apparently what Daryl Morey’s life is like, according to Ramona Shelburne at ESPN:

Every day he walks into his home in Philadelphia, Morey looks at a life-size portrait of Harden he commissioned from Croatian artist Filip Peraić after the 2018 season. It is a stunning piece of art: Harden towering over a basketball court, his hair ablaze in oranges, reds and yellows to reflect how monstrous his offensive output had been the year he won the league’s MVP award. 

Morey posted a photo to Instagram of the portrait hanging in his home in Houston in 2019 and 2020 and then again from his home in Philadelphia in 2022.

Wild.

The painting sits in his Morey’s office over his shoulder. Some people have pictures of their wives and kids, Daryl has a picture of the guy who he almost beat Steph Curry and the Warriors with in the playoffs once:

via RTRS on YouTube

That’s gotta go in the closet behind the coats now, right? I know there were great times had by you both, but it’s like he wrote a Facebook status about all the intimate private events of your marriage, won the dog, and took half your money in the divorce. There has to be some bitterness there, right? Maybe not:

When asked if he was hurt by James Harden’s accusations and handling of the situation Daryl Morey replies:

“Look I think time heals. He wanted to be traded and we followed through on what he wanted…He chose to handle things in certain ways that I wouldn’t have. He might feel…

— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) November 1, 2023

James Harden on the other hand? Never wants to speak to Morey again:

Harden feels very differently about the dissolution of their basketball marriage. He hasn’t spoken to Morey in months, sources told ESPN. He has told associates he doesn’t intend to speak to him ever again.

Daryl seems like the guy who thinks things still might work down the line. The painting stays on the wall because he’s holding out hope one day he hears the key Harden still has to the apartment jiggle in the lock:

The divorce is final. But Morey says he’s keeping the painting of Harden — on his living room wall.

“It’s one of my prized possessions.”