James Wesley Darden (June 19, 1922 – April 29, 1994) was an American professional basketball player and coach.

He was a member of the Wyoming Cowboys team that won the 1943 NCAA championship, but did not play in the actual tournament because he was serving in World War II at the time.

[2] After his discharge in 1946, Darden joined the Denver Nuggets, which was then part of the Amateur Athletic Union.

[1] The Nuggets became a part of the National Basketball Association in the league's inaugural 1949–50 season, and Darden served as a player-coach for the team.

The Nuggets left the NBA after one season to become a part of the National Professional Basketball League, and Darden coached the team, who were renamed the Refiners, to an 18–16 record while also having to play three games after some players left the team during the season.