James Harden has been given a significant amount of attention throughout the NBA offseason. But he doesn’t seem to care much for it in the eyes of the public. Some fans might already know about his current situation with Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers. To those who do not know, Harden has opted out of the final year of his deal and is looking to take his talents elsewhere, potentially the Los Angeles Clippers.
Since the offseason is around 4 months long for all teams and even longer for those who fall out of contention, players certainly have a lot of time on their hands. It might interest some fans to know that Harden decided to take a trip to China. Let us find out more about what he did there.
What is James Harden doing in China?
Although we have no way of knowing his complete schedule, fans were stunned to see James Harden show up at a basketball court on an electric moped. He was likely promoting the product as part of some advertising deal. Despite the incident that occurred 4 years ago, it doesn’t look like the 76ers star’s image in China has been damaged in the least.
James Harden having the time of his life riding around on a moped in China 😁
(via bambam-in-vietnam/Reddit)pic.twitter.com/yrrNVDkA0S
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 14, 2023
Some fans might remember when Daryl Morey sent out a public message on social media voicing his support for Hong Kong in their clash with China. It occurred back when he was the GM of the Houston Rockets. This decision of his enraged the Chinese authorities to the extent that Rockets games were banned throughout all of China.
Since the NBA has a growing fan base throughout the entire world, especially in China, that alone is enough reason for Harden’s trip to the eastern country. While all the pro athletes move across the United States and Canada throughout the season. there is no real opportunity to visit international fanbases.
Even if the Chinese authorities are still upset over the incident in the past, Daryl Morey is the one they should hold significantly more accountable. Moreover, Harden recently called him out in public and accused him of lying. Therefore, the people of that country would be quite happy to receive James.
In any case, there are only a few months left in the NBA off-season. Eventually, Harden will have to return from his vacation and face the music with Morey and the 76ers.