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James Harden’s rumored affinity for high-class strip clubs is nothing new. It was called out when trade talks first surfaced as many lamented that maybe Miami wasn’t the best destination for the basketball star who counts King of Diamonds as one of his favorite haunts.
Well, Harden was sent packing to the Brooklyn Nets but there is new evidence of his love for the steamy South Beach nightlife. According to TMZ Sports, Harden’s side hustle may have cost the Oklahoma City Thunder a chance at beating the Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals. His former teammate, Kendrick Perkins, revealed Harden’s “strip-club hopping” addiction on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
He was allegedly out every night and it showed up in the stat sheet where Harden averaged just 12.4 points during the five-game series. Want further proof? Harden averaged 18.5 per game in the Western Conference Finals in San Antonio.
We couldn’t get that motherf***er to buy a bucket in that motherf***er. Man, James ain’t give a s*** and you know why … Motherf***ing King of Diamonds and everything cut a hole in his hands. In San Antonio, you didn’t have a damn thing to do,” Perkins added. “S***, we got to motherf***ing Miami, it was every-motherf***ing-thing to do. We couldn’t get that motherf***ker to buy a bucket in that motherf***er.
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Harden Loves the After-Hours Nightlife
The news of Harden going out on the town and indulging in the nightlife has been well-documented over the years. According to the Joe Budden Podcast, the former Rockets star guard had his jersey retired in the rafters of a Houston strip club after dropping $1 million in one night.
“James has his jersey like hanging from the top,” said co-host Jamil “Mal” Clay. “They were doing that because they said James has been going in there spending like [a lot of money], you know what I mean? So they gave him his own jersey hanging from the rafters of the strip club.”
The 2018 MVP was also caught mask-less (credit Reddit) in a strip club right before this year’s season opener, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There was also a fairly legitimate analysis done of Harden’s performance in cities with “high-quality strip clubs.” The conclusion was that his stats definitely decline in cities like Miami.
Heat Dodged Bullet Not Trading for Harden
Strip clubs aside, the Heat probably dodged a bullet in not making a trade for Harden. According to NBA Insider Clutch Adam, the Rockets were asking for an insane package that included: Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, Kendrick Nunn, plus two first-round picks.
Looking at the future drafts for Miami, there is no indication of how this trade could even work. Remember, the Heat don’t have a first-rounder to trade until 2025. It wouldn’t have worked in Miami either way more than likely due to Harden’s party habits. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported last December that Harden would charter private jets on off-days and fly to Las Vegas. That’s definitely not in accordance with “Heat Culture.”
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