James Harden gives back to Houston during JH-Town Weekend

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - What a weekend this is for James Harden who is giving back to Houston in a big way with his inaugural JH-Town weekend that began Friday at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Houston on the north side, with 150 kids getting backpacks filled with school supplies.

Harden will then host a charity basketball tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Rice University. The charity tournament kicks off on Saturday at 1 p.m. On Sunday, the charity tournament finals begin at 1 p.m. and the NBA charity main event begins at 3 p.m.

For Harden this weekend is about the kids in need.

"I've been in Houston for five years and now it’s an opportunity to put my footstep on it. Not just on the basketball court, obviously, I still have a long way to go, but just in the community. I've always been about the community. I've always been about people spreading love and joy. So this is an opportunity, not just for one day, but for an entire weekend to kind of touch the city and make sure they feel me and make sure I feel them a little bit,” Harden said.  “We're giving away 13 scholarships to kids in high school to be able to get them to college and not have to worry about anything so they can make their family better.

James Harden, in fact, is doing a great deal more than that. Harden is donating $100,000 to Texas Southern University for scholarships to go to students in need.