Houston Rockets star James Harden was fined $ 50,000 and declared “unavailable” for a violation of the League’s COVID-19 protocols after the NBA watched a video of him partying without a mask at a club, the NBA announced on Wednesday.
The NBA made the announcement before Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was delayed because the Rockets did not have the eight available players the league needed to continue the game.
It is not yet clear to both Harden and the Rockets how long he will be unavailable or whether he will face extra penalty in the competition, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
Harden tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, a League source told Shelburne.
Harden’s video of partying without a mask, which was posted by Black Sports Online and circulated on social media, is reportedly taken from a Christmas party in Houston held this week.
The NBA’s COVID-19 protocols prohibit players from going to bars, lounges or clubs and participating in social gatherings of more than 15 people.
The League said Harden had broken those rules when he attended a “private indoor party” Monday.
Harden 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 several witnesses to the event told the League that she was attending a dinner for a friend who was recently 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 room with his security equipment and wearing a mask. She took a picture with her boyfriend and gave her a present. Harden, the source said, also said he left after about 30 minutes and did not continue with the group, leaving for other locations later that evening.
Harden released a statement on Instagram on Wednesday saying “every day is something different” and the event was not at a strip club.
“One thing after another. I was going to show love to my housewife at her event (not a strip club) because she’s becoming the boss and putting her people in a position of success and now it’s a problem,” Harden said in the mail. ‘Every day is something different. It doesn’t matter how many times people try to drag my name under it, it doesn’t work. The real work always ends at the top. ‘
It was unclear where the Harden video was taken. ESPN and other media outlets reported early Wednesday that the video was shot in a strip club.
In accordance with health and safety protocols, failure to comply or refuse to comply may subject a player to disciplinary action by the NBA or its team, including a warning, fine, and / or suspension, in addition to an obligation to participate in an education or training session. . Frequent offenders may be subject to more severe disciplinary action.
A suspension would cost Harden $ 284,517 per game, which is 1/145 of his salary.
Harden, who applied to be traded, violated the League’s COVID-19 protocols during his brief suspension at the start of training camp when he attended the rapper’s birthday party. Lil Baby in Atlanta and visited clubs in Las Vegas. The League required Harden to have negative coronavirus tests for six consecutive days before granting him permission to practice with the Rockets.
Sources told ESPN that Harden had COVID-19 during the summer before the NBA season reboot, which is why he was too late to inform the bubble about Walt Disney World of the competition. 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.