N.B.A. Postpones Houston Rockets Game Because of Coronavirus

The disgruntled Harden, who for weeks has been pushing behind the scenes for a trade out of Houston, had confirmed earlier Wednesday in a since-deleted Instagram post that he recently attended an “event” to support a friend. The league’s nearly 160 pages of health and safety guidelines prohibit players from going to bars, lounges or clubs this season, as well as from using public transportation and from attending indoor gatherings of more than 15 people.

Houston’s sudden shortage of players on Wednesday, however, stemmed from coronavirus concerns separate from those surrounding Harden. ESPN reported that the veterans John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins and the rookie Kenyon Martin Jr. had gathered at an apartment away from the team’s facilities for haircuts. Wall and Cousins tested negative for the coronavirus, ESPN said, but Houston did not have eight players available for what was to be the team’s first game with Stephen Silas as its head coach.

Harden appeared to be in violation of the league’s Covid-19 protocols in early December, when, as The New York Times first reported, he left the Houston area to travel to Atlanta to celebrate the birthday of the rapper Lil Baby. Harden was subsequently photographed with Lil Baby in Las Vegas, but he was not punished in part because he had not yet officially reported to the Rockets. Harden eventually joined the team on Dec. 8, after missing two days of team practices, and was then required to test negative for the coronavirus on six consecutive days before he was cleared to join Houston’s practices.

“One thing after another,” Harden wrote on Instagram before deleting the post. “I went to show love to my homegirl at her event (not a strip club) because she is becoming a boss and putting her people in position of success and now it’s a problem. Everyday it’s something different. No matter how many times people try to drag my name under you can’t. The real always end on top.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/sports/basketball/houston-rockets-postponed-nba-coronavirus.html