The Houston Rockets and the NBA watch a video of James Harden partying maskless at a strip club to determine if he violated the league’s COVID-19 protocols, questioning the availability of the perennial All-Star for Houston’s season opener Wednesday night is being pulled, sources told ESPN.
The video, which was published by Black Sports Online and circulated on social media, is said to be from a Houston strip club’s Christmas party held this week. The Rockets and the league office are trying to verify that it is indeed a recent video, which would confirm that Harden violated the league’s protocols.
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.
Under health and safety protocols, a player who fails or refuses to comply may be subject to disciplinary action by the NBA or his team, including a warning, fine and / or suspension, and must also participate in education or training. . Frequent offenders can be subject to stricter discipline.
A suspension would cost Harden $ 284,517 per game, which is 1 / 145th of his salary.
Harden, who has filed for trade, violated the league’s COVID-19 protocols during his brief outage at the start of training camp when he attended rapper Lil Baby’s birthday party in Atlanta and attended clubs in Las Vegas. The competition required Harden to have negative coronavirus tests for six consecutive days before giving him permission to practice with the Rockets.
Sources told ESPN that Harden had COVID-19 during the summer before the NBA season rebooted, which is why he was late reporting to the competition’s Walt Disney World bubble. Players who have recovered from the coronavirus must still follow the competition’s health and safety protocols.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks contributed to this report.