James Harden is desperately trying to find his way off the Houston Rockets. How bad has it gotten? Video is now coming out of him attending a maskless stripper Christmas party.
According to BSO, Harden attended the soiree in question this past week. Doing so seems like a fairly clear violation of the NBA’s strict COVID-19 policies.
James Harden receiving Christmas gifts in the club in Houston pic.twitter.com/FljAYuWLeh
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2BIog) December 22, 2020
Needless to say, folks had some reactions.
They got him luggage he gone
— Nic (@thecIutchcity) December 22, 2020
Damm a luggage?? They know he gone
— GOATEDCARLOS (@Morales3k) December 22, 2020
me: *laughs nervously* pic.twitter.com/qcYTfFM2RM
— Yas (@yasmineisokay) December 22, 2020
Harden literally just joined the Rockets last week after missing training camp because he was “training” in Las Vegas. When he finally linked up with the team, he seemed out of shape and unhappy to be there.
On Tuesday morning, a report emerged from Shams Charania of The Athletic that Harden has been having issues with some of his Rockets teammates.
“Harden has had multiple verbal confrontations with teammates in practice on Sunday and Monday, and one confrontation included Harden throwing a basketball at a teammate on Monday,” Charania wrote.
Yikes. https://t.co/i9JwFBYCVD
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 17, 2020
“Harden and rookie Jae’Sean Tate had a heated exchange during Monday’s practice, culminating in Harden throwing the ball in Tate’s direction. The ball did not hit Tate. Interactions like these between teammates during practice can be part of a normal, competitive environment,” he continued.
“Harden, however, is known by those in the organization as a laid-back and calm personality —especially as superstars go — and some around the franchise are viewing this as rising to an uncharacteristic level of frustration given his ongoing situation.”
Earlier this offseason Harden demanded to be traded by Houston to the Brooklyn Nets. The Rockets’ front office has refused to oblige unless they get a worthwhile package – which to date Brooklyn has not offered.
When confronted about Tim Duncan’s sexuality, Danny Green kept it real. https://t.co/A2W9DCA1p3
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 18, 2020
Based on Harden’s most recent flagrant disregard for NBA and Rockets protocols, it’s clear that this situation is quickly becoming untenable.
How will it ultimately end?
Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
