Houston Rockets' James Harden 'unavailable' due to protocol violation, NBA says
Houston Rockets star James Harden has been ruled "unavailable" due to a violation of the league's COVID-19 protocols, the NBA announced Wednesday.
It is still unclear to both Harden and the Rockets how long he'll be unavailable or whether he'll face league punishment, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne. The announcement came after the Rockets and the NBA reviewed video of Harden partying maskless at a club.
The league also announced that the Rockets' game Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder has been postponed, as the Rockets do not have the league-required eight available players needed to proceed with the game. Three Rockets players, including rookie Kenyon Martin Jr. and Ben McLemore, returned tests that were either positive or inconclusive, according to sources. Additionally, four other players -- John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Jae'Sean Tate and two-way player Mason Jones -- are quarantined after contact tracing, according to sources.
Harden has tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, a league source told Shelburne.
The video, which was published by Black Sports Online and has been circulating on social media, is purportedly from a Houston club's Christmas party held this week.
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.
Harden has told NBA investigators he believed he was in compliance with NBA health and safety protocols, a source close to the situation told Shelburne.
Harden and multiple witnesses at the event have told the league that he attended a seated dinner for a friend who'd recently been promoted at work, the source told ESPN.
According to the source, Harden said he entered through a separate entrance and sat in a separate area of the venue with his security detail and was wearing a mask. He took a photo with his friend and gave her a gift. Harden, the source said, also said he left after approximately 30 minutes and did not continue on with the group, which went to other locations later in the night.
Harden issued a statement on Instagram on Wednesday saying "everyday it's something different" and the event was not at 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," Harden said in the post. "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."
It was unclear as of Wednesday afternoon where the video of Harden was taken. ESPN and other media outlets reported earlier Wednesday that the video was taken at a strip club.
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.
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 Harden to have six consecutive days of negative coronavirus tests before clearing him to practice with the Rockets.
Sources told ESPN that Harden had COVID-19 during the summer before the NBA season restart, which is why he was late reporting to the league's Walt Disney World bubble. Players who have recovered from the coronavirus are still required to follow the league's health and safety protocols.
ESPN's Bobby Marks contributed to this report.
