James Harden raised some eyebrows this week when it was reported that he was not in Houston with the Rockets for individual workouts. Apparently, he was attending a birthday bash instead.
The Rockets began individual workouts this week and have their first official practice on Sunday. While the workouts are not mandatory, Marc Stein of the New York Times notes that players are supposed to be “in market” and produce three consecutive days of negative COVID-19 tests to enter their team’s practice facility.
According to TMZ, Harden was in Atlanta at some point this week to celebrate rapper Lil Baby’s birthday. Harden gave Lil Baby a Prada bag that was filled with goodies, including a Richard Mille watch and a massive stack of cash.
The timeline is a bit unclear, as it seems Lil Baby has been celebrating his birthday for the better part of a week. All we can say is that Harden was partying with the rapper at some point in recent days and is not yet with his Rockets teammates.
Of course, Harden’s absence has been linked to his reported desire to be traded. New Rockets coach Stephen Silas made it seem like he expects to see Harden in Houston soon, but the situation is one to monitor.
Harden has made eight straight All-Star teams and won three straight scoring titles. The Rockets traded Russell Westbrook earlier in the week in a move that Harden apparently approves of.
