All-Star guard James Harden has had “multiple verbal confrontations” with his Houston Rockets teammates at practices in recent days, according to a new report by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Harden remains with the team despite reportedly issuing a trade request in the offseason. Since Harden is under contract for at least two more years, the Rockets aren’t under any immediate pressure to grant his wish.
Here’s how Charania describes the recent practice situations:
The Athletic learned that Harden has had multiple verbal confrontations with teammates in practice on Sunday and Monday, and one confrontation included Harden throwing a basketball at a teammate on Monday.
Sources say Harden and rookie Jae’Sean Tate had a heated exchange during Monday’s practice, culminating in Harden throwing the ball in Tate’s direction. The ball did not hit Tate. Interactions like these between teammates during practice can be part of a normal, competitive environment. Harden, however, is known by those in the organization as a laid-back and calm personality — especially as superstars go — and some around the franchise are viewing this as rising to an uncharacteristic level of frustration given his ongoing situation.
Rockets players' early signs of tension in recent days included James Harden throwing a basketball at a rookie, setting the stage for Houston to tip off the season on Wednesday.
Story from @ShamsCharania for @TheAthleticNBA ⤵️
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 22, 2020
However, Charania paints a different picture of Harden on game nights, at least during two preseason games last week:
Sources have described Harden as engaged and encouraging with teammates on game nights, discussing strategy and how to improve on the floor.
In his Monday media session, Harden said the Rockets have “been going pretty hard” at training camp scrimmages in recent days.
It’s worth noting that tense practice moments aren’t that unusual in the NBA. For example, with the Chicago Bulls in the 1995-96 season, Michael Jordan infamously punched teammate Steve Kerr in the face during training camp. But as superstars go, Harden has often been of the more laid-back variety, and it’s fair to wonder if the recent confrontations reflect his frustration with having an ungranted trade request.
In any event, that side of Harden hasn’t been seen during games, and the Rockets hope that continues when the 2020-21 regular season opens on Wednesday at Toyota Center. Tip-off between Houston and Oklahoma City is set for 7:00 p.m. Central, with the game shown regionally on AT&T SportsNet Southwest and nationally on NBA League Pass.
