All-Star guard and perennial MVP finalist James Harden will need to register six negative tests for COVID-19 before he can fully rejoin the Houston Rockets for group practices and preseason games, according to a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Harden wasn’t with the team when individual training camp workouts began at Toyota Center last week, or when group activities started on Sunday. Numerous videos, purportedly from recent days, showed him partying indoors in other cities while not wearing a mask.
Most players started their daily COVID-19 testing program last week, and after completing at least three days worth of negative tests, the NBA began allowing them to work together as of Sunday. Harden, however, didn’t begin his on-site testing program until Tuesday, and there’s also the matter of video evidence showing him not operating within the NBA’s recommended safety protocols when away from the court.
As a result, the standard appears to be higher for Harden.
Rockets star James Harden will need to register six negative coronavirus tests before returning to group workouts according to NBA protocols, source tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Harden returned to Houston for testing this week after being out of town.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 9, 2020
Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said after Wednesday’s practice that the team was working with the NBA on a return plan. Harden made his delayed arrival to Toyota Center on Tuesday, and the requirement of six negative coronavirus tests (on different days) means that Monday is the earliest date that he would be able to join his teammates.
“He is doing his due diligence when it comes to testing,” Silas said of Harden’s daily activities within the league protocols.
The NBA’s ruling also indicates that Harden will not travel with the team or play in preseason games at Chicago on Friday and Sunday. If he continues to test negative, Harden would be eligible to play next Tuesday, which is when the Rockets host the Spurs in their home preseason opener.
Coach Silas asked what the timetable looks like for Harden’s return following going through the safety protocols @HoustonRockets pic.twitter.com/oV4JS4rjN7
— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) December 9, 2020
