All-Star guard James Harden won’t miss any games for the Houston Rockets after his latest breach of the NBA’s new COVID-19 protocols.
“Harden will be required to isolate until Friday and continue to test negative for the coronavirus before being cleared to return to play,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted on Thursday, citing league sources. “He should be available to play Saturday versus Blazers.”
Harden was fined $50,000 by the league on Wednesday for violating protocols at an event earlier this week. The strict protocols “prohibit attending indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people or entering bars, lounges, clubs, or similar establishments.”
“Harden violated these rules when he attended a private indoor party on Monday, Dec. 21,” the NBA said in its fine announcement.
While Harden must continue to test negative in order to play, that should ultimately be the case, since ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported Wednesday that Harden already had COVID-19 a few months ago. The league still requires players who previously tested positive to follow its protocols, as a means of limiting potential spread to others.
James Harden receiving Christmas gifts in the club in Houston pic.twitter.com/FljAYuWLeh
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2BIog) December 22, 2020
Harden was deemed unavailable for Wednesday’s scheduled regular-season opener against Oklahoma City, but that became irrelevant since the game was postponed by the NBA due to other COVID-19 issues with the Rockets. Since Harden won’t miss any played games, he will not be subject to any further financial losses beyond the $50,000 fine.
In what should be Houston’s revised start to the 2020-21 regular season, tipoff from Portland is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Central on Saturday. Based on Thursday’s ruling, Harden should be in the starting lineup.
Rockets guard James Harden will be required to isolate until Friday and continue to test negative for the coronavirus before being cleared to return to play, sources tell ESPN. He should be available to play Saturday vs Blazers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 24, 2020
The NBA is still in the process of determine the quarantine periods for the Rockets who were not available last night due to contract tracing. With James Harden, the Rockets have eight available players, which is enough to play in Portland on Saturday.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 24, 2020
