TBT: James Harden when he wasn't too lazy to shave his beard

James Harden: the man, the beard, the legend. It's hard to believe there was a time before that glorious facial hair was a part of our lives, but we found evidence of a barefaced Harden's existence -- way back in 2005, when he was just 15 years old.

Harden has said that the infamous beard began in 2009, when he was at Arizona State and just too lazy to shave.

See the evolution of Harden's career (and beard):

Nowadays, the Houston Rockets guard is nearly as famous for his whiskers as he is his offensive prowess on the court.

At only 26, Harden has already been in the NBA for seven years. He is a four-time All-Star and was the second youngest person to ever be named NBA Sixth Man of the Year when he was given the award in 2012, his last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Harden signed with Houston before the 2012-2013 season and has remained there since, making the playoffs with the team each year but still vying for his first championship.

Related: Watch James Harden totally embarrass this poor kid: