James Harden knew what he was getting into, back in 2016, when he signed with Trolli, arch-nemesis of candymaker Haribo, the dominant player for decades in the Gummi space. He approached Trolli, and together they were taking a shot at the king—Haribo, the Golden State Warriors of the Gummi world. Harden will make $28 million from the Houston Rockets this season, plus $15 million more from Adidas, but it is clear which of his benefactors has his true heart. Teams and shoe contracts come and go—Harden is already on his second of each—but candy is forever.

"It's a match made in heaven," he says.

What unites Harden and Trolli is a kinship of temperament, also known as a "brand identity," which, Harden tells me, boils down to one word: "weird." So far their partnership has yielded sour Gummis shaped like Harden's line of Adidas sneakers; a set of MVB (Most Valuable Beard) trading cards, including one that depicts Harden surfing through space on the back of his bulldog, Zeus; and one of the most surreal series of ads ever filmed by a pro athlete. In one spot, a bunch of Harden-head nesting dolls pop open, including one that has laser beams shooting from its eyes.

Jacket, price upon request, by Supreme / Track jacket, $80, by Adidas / Track pants, $350, by Daniel Patrick / Sneakers, $450, by Y-3 / Sunglasses, $510, by Gucci

Harden says his creative process with Trolli is: Trolli comes up with some bonkers idea "and they bring it to me, and then they're like, 'Oh, I don't think he would do that—it's just too crazy.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I'll do it.' " It's not so much that he likes to zig when everyone else zags, or that every day is opposite day for James Harden. It's more like a genetic urge to subvert expectations. He's constantly staring at the Matrix, trying to figure how to be the glitch.

Which is all well and good, but, in candymaking as in basketball, is weirdness really a recipe for knocking off a juggernaut?

Harden ponders the question. He might be pondering the question. Sometimes it can be hard to tell. With his half-mast eyes and that garden-gnome beard, the MVP favorite has the constant appearance of a man who just emerged from a deep hibernation, like Rip Van Winkle with a savage crossover. He has resting rest face.

From the moment he walked into this hotel café, he's looked like the least stressed man for miles, and we're in New Orleans on the night before Saint Patrick's Day. No one in this city is stressed. He's dressed head to toe in a heather gray Adidas sweat suit, looking so slick and so cozy it's as if he's wearing fashion pajamas. And now he's sort of reclining to one side, his right foot up on the plush red lounge chair across from him, like he's chilling on the rocks in Michelangelo's Creation of Adam, waiting for God to touch his fingertip.

So it could be that Harden has already forgotten my question. Or he might be "locked in"—that's Harden's slogan for the season; he celebrates nearly every Rockets win on Instagram with a padlock emoji—and he's carefully considering his reply. Who knows. Finally, he answers.

"The guys that I'm actually out there on the court competing against—and probably don't even like me—are just like, 'Okay, he deserves it.' "

"It's not gonna happen overnight," he begins, his voice low and flat. "The more you work, the more you figure out how to be great. Just keep adjusting, keep adapting." I had been asking about Trolli vs. Haribo, but it's as if he clicked on his Warriors sound file instead. The key is knowing who you are—believing not only that you can find the giant's weakness but also that you are the giant. "Our goal is to be the best. Not the best who's out right now, but the best. You know, longevity."

Harden has never shied away from taking on giants—the Heatles in 2012, Golden State's Death Lineup in 2016, Haribo—but so far at least, he's had less success taking them down. There are signs this year could be different, though. The arrival of Chris Paul has given Harden all the breathers he didn't get in the past five years, and it turns out that Paul's sneaky, silky game is a natural complement to Harden's own sneaking and silking. All dynasties end eventually, and when they do, it has a way of seeming obvious in retrospect. Several Warriors have been nicked by injuries this year, including Steph Curry; maybe we'll look back in July and realize they were ripe for an upset.