In the wake of his coronavirus protocol violation and absorbing a $ 50,000 fine, the NBA mandates that Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden be quarantined and tested negative for four days, paving the way for his return Saturday against the Portland Trail Blazers, sources told ESPN.
The league’s medical staff started the clock on a Harden quarantine with Tuesday’s negative test, and he should get clearance on Friday, sources said.
Harden was disciplined after video of him surfaced during an indoor meeting in Houston without a mask. He should not have played in the Rockets’ scheduled game against Oklahoma City on Wednesday, which was ultimately postponed because Houston was unable to meet league guidelines with eight eligible players.
The video of Harden partying maskless, which was published by Black Sports Online and circulating on social media, is said to be 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.
The league said Harden had broken those rules when he attended a “private indoor party” on Monday.
Harden has told NBA investigators he believed he was in compliance with health and safety protocols, a source close to the situation told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Harden and multiple witnesses at the event have told the competition that he attended a seated dinner for a friend who was recently promoted at work, the source said.
According to the source, Harden said he entered through a separate entrance, sat in a separate area of the room with his security detail and was wearing a mask. He took a picture with his friend and gave her a present. Harden said, according to the source, he left after about 30 minutes and did not move on with the group, which moved to other locations later that night.
Harden, who has filed for trade, violated the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols during his brief outage at the start of training camp when he attended rapper Lil Baby’s Atlanta birthday party 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 Tim MacMahon contributed to this report.