#Roommates, James Harden has made it abundantly clear that he no longer wants to play for the Houston Rockets—and a recent incident has many believing that he is now going to extreme lengths to be traded. Following a recent video of James Harden reportedly partying in a strip club without wearing a mask, NBA officials are now reviewing the footage to determine if he broke league COVID-19 protocols.
According to @ESPN, the NBA (and specifically the Houston Rockets) are currently reviewing recent video footage of James Harden reportedly in a strip club not wearing a mask to decide if his actions violated the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. The outcome of the decision could potentially have him missing Houston’s season opener, sources revealed. However, James Harden recently took three consecutive COVID-19 tests since his alleged strip club outing—and they all came back negative. You may recall that he previously tested positive for the virus over the summer.
The video, which has been widely circulating on social media, is allegedly from a Christmas party held a few days ago—however the NBA is investigating to determine that the video was indeed recent in order to decide Harden’s punishment. The NBA’s COVID-19 protocols prohibit players from going to bars, lounges or clubs and from participating in social gatherings of more than 15 people. According to the health and safety protocols, failure or refusal to comply could subject a player to disciplinary action by the NBA or his team, including a warning, fine and/or suspension, as well as being required to participate in an education or training session. Repeat offenders may be subject to enhanced discipline. A suspension would cost Harden $284,517 per game, which is 1/145th of his salary.
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Following the reports he could be suspended, he issued a statement on Instagram denying that the venue was a strip club:
“One thing after another. I went to show love to my homegirl at her event (not a strip club) because she is becoming a boss and putting her people in position of success and now it’s a problem. Everyday it’s something different. No matter how many times people try to drag my name under you can’t. The real always end on top.”
James Harden, who has requested to be traded, violated the league’s COVID-19 protocols during his brief holdout at the beginning of training camp when he attended rapper Lil Baby’s birthday party in Atlanta and frequented Las Vegas clubs. The league required him to have six consecutive days of negative coronavirus tests before clearing him to practice with the Rockets.
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