A National Basketball Association pundit suggested the star player on the Houston Rockets wants to be traded because of the owner’s support for President Trump.
News of James Harden demanding a trade to other teams is the result of team owner Tilman Fertitta’s support for Trump, senior Bleacher Report writer and longtime NBA commentator Ric Bucher said.
“What I heard is — and we know how much politics and political position had to do with the boycott and protests during the bubble — I’m hearing that Tilman Fertitta’s strong Republican support and donations is one of the things that is contributing to this dissatisfaction, and those two [Westbrook and Harden] are not the only ones to want out of Houston,” Bucher said on the Odd Couple podcast Monday. “Lesser players are of the same mind. There is a revolt here because they look at Fertitta as a guy who supports the current president.”
Bucher called the situation a “revolt” following news that Harden and fellow star Russell Westbrook, two of the Houston Rockets’ best players, were both unexpectedly pushing to force a trade away from a team that has sunk considerable money and faith into the two.
Fertitta has reportedly made big donations to the Republican Party and is said to be a fan of Trump, although he has kept mum publicly during an era where support of the president could be a punishable event in a league that has voiced its support for liberal-leaning social justice causes.
This is the second time in recent memory that the Rockets, who were unceremoniously dumped out of the second round of the NBA playoffs this summer, have found themselves in the middle of a political crisis after general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of the pro-Democratic protests in Hong Kong in October 2019. The tweet prompted backlash from several league superstars, including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who called Morey’s support for the protests “misinformed.”
Among the top destinations for either Westbrook or Harden could be the Brooklyn Nets, where superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant plan to make their long-awaited debuts next season.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Rockets for comment.
