Credit: Unsplash

Video has surfaced of Harden at an exotic club.

The Houston Rockets are set to play tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and as usual, one of the major components of the team is their star player, James Harden. However, ever since the infamous NBA bubble was formed by the league to keep players and staff safe from the pandemic, Harden has garnered a bit of a bad reputation as a rule breaker. He’s been spotted attending in-person parties in various states in the last few months, in clear violation of the bubble, as well as openly musing about being traded to a different team, which the Rockets didn’t particularly appreciate.

In the newest violation of the bubble, not to mention further fraying on the Rockets’ nerves, video footage recently surfaced of Harden whooping it up in an exotic club, clearly maskless and without regard for social distancing. Investigators from the NBA are currently attempting to determine whether this footage was shot recently, or before the pandemic began. If it’s old footage, then no harm no foul, but if it was taken recently, the Rockets may finally be forced to put their foot down on Harden’s behavior.

James Harden could miss season opener if video of him allegedly at strip club is recent enough to violate COVID-19 rules, per @espn_macmahon pic.twitter.com/YNaTg3fXGG

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 23, 2020

If it is determined that Harden violated COVID safety protocols, there’s a good chance he’ll be suspended from playing in tonight’s game, and depending on the location of the club in the video and how recent the footage was taken, he may be required to quarantine. As with other players who violate the rules, he could also be met with a penalty fine. However, suspending Harden may prove to be a tricky situation for the Rockets, as despite his behavior, he is undoubtedly one of the best players on the team. Drawing a line on his behavior may end up costing them their match against the Thunder.