The Houston Rockets are reportedly working with the NBA office to review a video of James Harden at a strip club.
The Houston Rockets are working with the NBA office to review a video of James Harden at a strip club, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
The date of the video, which circulated on social media earlier this week, is unconfirmed, but it is purportedly from a Houston strip club's Christmas party held this week. If it is deemed to be recent, it could put the Rockets star in violation of the league's COVID-19 protocols.
Harden and the Rockets open their season on Wednesday night against the Thunder.
As noted in the league's health and safety protocols, a failure to comply with protocols could result in individual disciplinary action by the NBA or team and could result in a warning, fine and/or suspension.
Harden, 31, has reportedly requested a trade from the Rockets with the 76ers, Nets and Bucks being among the potential clubs that Harden would like to be traded to. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported earlier this week that the Heat, one of the teams initially believed to be interested in Harden, will not pursue a possible move. According to the Denver Post's Mike Singer, the Nuggets were one of the teams that the Rockets called to gauge interest in a possible deal, but those talks didn't gain any traction.
Earlier this December, Harden did not participate in the Rockets' start to training camp after attending rapper Lil Baby's birthday party in Atlanta without wearing a face covering. The NBA had required players to quarantine at home in the lead-up to training camps, other than appearing at COVID-19 testing at team facilities, individual workouts and essential activities such as grocery shopping.
Harden has two years remaining on his contract, plus a player option for the 2022–23 season. The former MVP won the NBA scoring title for the third straight year last season, averaging 34.3 points, 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game.