James Harden has been making headlines in China this week, having called 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a “liar” during an Adidas sponsored event on Monday. It seems he’s enjoying his time there, though, and his fans across the Pacific Ocean could someday see a lot more of him.
According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the 33-year-old has expressed an interest in potentially playing in China at some point in the future.
“Every time I come here, the love is just like ... it’s crazy, you know what I mean?” he said. “So I feel like they deserve to actually see me come play here. ... Love is always crazy here,” said Harden, according to Pompey.
Harden got some unexpectedly fervent support from his fans in China this week when 10,000 bottles of his wine brand, J-Harden Wine, was sold within 10 seconds during a live stream.
Harden opted into the final year of his contract with the 76ers earlier this summer while also requesting a trade out of Philadelphia. Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday that the team was “ending trade conversations” for the 10-time All-Star.
With Harden reportedly not planning to show up to training camp, it’s possible he’s envisioning a scenario in which he winds up playing overseas. Pompey indicates that’s not likely, however, considering the rules of the CBA, which states that Harden would be in violation of his contract and unable to sign for another professional team should he “withhold playing services for more than 30 days after the start of the last season covered by his contract.”
While a move to play professionally in China in the immediate future seems unlikely, Harden doesn’t seem opposed to playing a season in the Chinese Basketball Association before he calls it quits.
