James Harden hits out at criticism after being spotted with burgers in nightclub

24 July 2023 , 19:34

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James Harden wants out of the Philadelphia 76ers this summer (Image: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

James Harden has called out ESPN for reposting footage of the NBA player stocking up on free burgers during the offseason.

Harden, 33, was at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami with Philadelphia 76ers teammate PJ Tucker over the weekend and while in the exclusive Loud Club, helped himself to four boxes of Trill Burgers during Travis Scott 's set. Tucker also grabbed himself one while on his phone.

ESPN then reposted the clip, which Trill Burgers' founder Bun B posted on Instagram. Sportscenter shared a screenshot from the video, with an added red arrow pointing to the four burger boxes in Harden's hands and the caption: "Harden stocking up." The post also asks: "Who was Harden grabbing burgers for?" There is no mention of Tucker's presence despite their post including the full video, which features the Philly forward.

Harden has since seen the post and posed a question to ESPN. "Slow news week?" he asked underneath the coverage. The 10-time NBA All-Star has been the subject of significant speculation this offseason after asking to be traded by the Sixers despite opting in to a player option earlier in the summer.

The Los Angeles Clippers are understood to be his preferred destination, but Philadelphia president Daryl Morey is looking for a player of comparable quality in return before sanctioning any move. Trade talks seem set to rumble on over the coming weeks and months after no deal was reached during Summer League. Training camp begins at the start of October.

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Harden is not happy in Philly (Getty Images)

Running mate Joel Embiid remains hopeful that Harden will return to the Sixers for a final season rather than forcing a way out of the franchise. After admitting to being "disappointed" by his teammate's decision during an interview at Summer League in Las Vegas, he elaborated on the situation.

"But then again, I also understand it's a business. People make decisions, and I'm more appreciative of the way he's handled the situation," he said. "We're going to be boys forever, want him to come back, obviously, so we can go out and accomplish what we want, which is to win a championship, so hopefully, his mindset can be changed. But other than that, I'm just so happy to be his friend."

The reigning regular season MVP has also spent this offseason hinting that he is contemplating leaving the City of Brotherly Love. "I just want to win a championship. Whatever it takes," Embiid said during an appearance at the UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival. I don't know where that's going to be. Whether in Philly or anywhere else, I just want to have a chance to accomplish that."

The Sixers have not come close to a championship since drafting Embiid almost a decade ago. They last made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001, when Allen Iversen led them to the NBA Finals before being beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Matthew Abbott