James Harden Explains Vacations In ATL & Vegas: "I Was In Training"

BY Erika Marie 2.9K Views
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James Harden, Houston Rockets, Lil Baby
The Rockets baller missed days at training camp because he traveled to Atlanta to celebrate Lil Baby's birthday.

He's been heavily criticized for losing days at training camp after partying with Lil Baby and later making the rounds in Las Vegas, but James Harden insists he was still on track. The Houston Rockets star may be calling a new team home soon as there have been reports that Harden has grown discontent with the Texas team. According to reports, Harden has taken issue with the owner of the team's support of Donald Trump, and for months there has been chatter about trades, yet there hasn't been much movement.

Recently, Harden was photographed living the good life at Lil Baby's iced out birthday extravaganzaa—an event that later caused Harden to miss days at training camp as he was quarantined before returning to the court. On Wednesday (December 16), Harden held his first press conference since December 8 and was immediately asked about his fate with Houston.

"Right now, I'm just focused on being here," said Harden. "Today was good, yesterday felt really good being out there for the first time since the bubble. I haven't really had an opportunity to do a lot of 5-on-5 work... For my first time being out there, I felt pretty good."

When asked about why he chose to visit Atlanta and Las Vegas with training camp on the horizon, Harden gave an unexpected answer. "I was just training," he said. What were you training for? "The start of the NBA season." Why didn't you do that in Houston with your team? "Just my personal trainers." 

Check out the video below.

[via]


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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