Getty James Harden looks at the referee in disbelief.
Former Most Valuable Player James Harden spent eight years in Houston before going through an ugly divorce with the Rockets.
That trade from his former team brought him to his new, preferred home. Barclays center playing with the Brooklyn Nets. On Tuesday fans will be allowed in the building for the first time this year when Brooklyn takes on the Sacramento Kings. Harden can’t wait.
Harden Excited To Have Fans Back at Barclays
“I can’t wait I’m excited. One of the reasons why I wanted to be in Brooklyn was because of the fanbase,” Harden told reporters following Sunday’s win over the Clippers via SNY.
“They’re unbelievable. They know the game of basketball, and they’re true, true fans. Just to have some excitement, some extra energy in the crowd it’s going to be exciting obviously for the entire team we cant wait. It’s been a long road trip, a very good road trip and now we gotta get home and have some fun,” Harden said.
James Harden is amped for the return of fans in Brooklyn:
“One of the reasons why I wanted to be in Brooklyn was because of the fanbase. They’re unbelievable. They know the game of basketball, and they’re true, true fans.”
Was Harden being shady towards the Rockets’ fan base by calling fans of the Nets true fans? It isn’t that far-fetched when you consider how he exited the Rockets. After a consecutive blowout loss to the Lakers, Harden had some interesting words about the Rockets roster as currently constructed and made it clear that he wanted out of Houston:
James Harden asked if he’s surprised the #Rockets didn’t make a run: “We’re just not good enough..Chemistry, talent-wise, everything. It’s clear..I love this city I’ve literally done everything that I can..It’s crazy. It’s something that I don’t think can be fixed.”
Harden’s Rocket Teammates Were Unhappy With Him
What was eventually the last straw for Houston’s ownership was that Harden’s actions were affecting the rest of the team. His teammates were getting sick of his behavior and they made it publicly known.
“End of the day, a lot of guys here wanna compete at a high level,” John Wall said to reporters via Fadeaway World.
“When the 1-15 guys all on the same page and they commit, they know their role, they know what they wanna do, they know what they wanna get out of this that’s to win, you all will be fine. But when you have certain guys in the mix that don’t wanna buy in all as one, it’s going to be hard to do anything good as a basketball team,” Wall said.
DeMarcus Cousins who is reportedly set to hit free agency via the buyout market also had some strong words about Harden and his behavior.
“I don’t feel betrayed at all. My interest was playing with John Wall to be brutally honest,” Cousins said to reporters via USA Today. “With that being said, the disrespect started way before any interview. Just the approach to training camp, showing up the way he did, the answers off the court. I mean, the disrespect started way before.”
Harden Still Loves the City of Houston
Despite Harden’s ugly divorce from the Rockets he still has an immense amount of love for the city of Houston. Texas has been going through a power and water crisis this month. Harden recently donated 3,000 meals to the city’s residents via his restaurant ‘Thirteen’ as a gratuitous gesture for the city that he called home for eight years.
“They’ve shown me so much love and respect in the time that I was there so I call Houston home,” Harden said via Republic World. “This is probably worse than the hurricane just because we don’t know how many people are affected, not having electricity, not having power, not able to eat or be outside or whatever the case may be,” he said.
“This is probably worse than the hurricane, just because we don’t know how many people are affected”
James Harden talks about trying to help the people of Texas through these tough times
Despite how Harden exited the Rockets, the bond that he and the city of Houston have can never be broken. Harden returns to Houston to take on the Rockets on March 3.
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