Houston Rockets star James Harden was fined $ 50,000 and declared “unavailable” due to a violation of League COVID-19 protocols after the NBA reviewed a video of him partying without mask at a club, the NBA announced Wednesday.
The NBA made the announcement before Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed because the Rockets did not have the eight available players required by the league needed to continue the game.
It is still unclear for both Harden and the Rockets how long he will not be available or whether he will face additional punishment in the League, 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 a party without a mask, which was posted by Black Sports Online and has been circulating on social media, is supposedly from a Houston club’s Christmas party held this week.
NBA 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 violated those rules when he attended a “private party under the roof” on Monday.
Harden told NBA investigators he believed he complied with NBA health and safety protocols, Shelburne told a source close to the situation.
Harden and several witnesses at the event told the League he attended a dinner for a friend who had recently been promoted to 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 site with his security gear and wearing a mask. He took a picture with his friend and gave her a present. Harden, the source said, also said he left after about 30 minutes and did not continue with the group, which went elsewhere later that night.
Harden issued 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 at a strip club) because she’s becoming a boss and is putting her people in a position of success and now it’s a problem, ”Harden said in the post. “Every day is something different. No matter how many times people try to drag my name down, you can’t. The real thing always ends up on top.”
It was unclear where Harden’s video was taken. ESPN and other media reported early Wednesday that the video was taken at a strip club.
In accordance with health and safety protocols, non-compliance or refusal to comply could subject a player to disciplinary action by the NBA or its team, including a warning, fine and / or suspension, to more than being forced to participate in an education or training session. . Recidivist offenders may be subject to greater discipline.
A suspension would cost Harden $ 284,517 per game, which is 1/145 of his salary.
Harden, who applied to be replaced, violated League 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 frequented clubs in Las Vegas. The League required Harden to have six consecutive days of negative coronavirus testing before allowing him to practice with the Rockets.
Sources told ESPN that Harden had COVID-19 during the summer before the resumption of the NBA season, which is why he arrived late to report the bubble. Walt Disney World of the League. Players who have recovered from the coronavirus still have to follow the league’s health and safety protocols.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks contributed to this report.