Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden is seeing himself moving out across the Pacific Ocean to play in China after receiving massive support from fans during his visit this past week as part of a promotional tour with his shoe and apparel sponsor, German sportswear company Adidas.
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player had expressed his willingness to potentially play in China in the future.
Harden mentioned that every time he comes to the Far East Asian country, the love from the Chinese fans is very much overwhelming.
"I feel like they deserve to actually see me come play here. Love is always crazy here," the 33-year-old added.
Harden visited China for the first time in four years, where he had a memorable week.
The ten-time NBA All-Star publicly lambasted Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, calling him "a liar."
He reiterated that he would never be a part of an organization that the 50-year-old executive is also a part of, amid a tumultuous offseason for both parties after Harden initially opted in his $35.6 million 2023-24 season player option with the team, expecting to be traded.
However, the Sixers pulled out of trade discussions, deciding to bring back Harden for training camp. Harden doubled down on his words by repeating his statement against Morey twice.
Meanwhile, a Chinese fan bought 10,000 bottles of the Sixers star's brand of wine called "J-Harden Wines."
The six-time member of the All-NBA First Team was flabbergasted upon seeing the volume of sales during a livestream, prompting him to celebrate and do a cartwheel after.
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James Harden is being urged to make the 'Lionel Messi move
FOX Sports analyst Jason McIntyre made a bold claim during an appearance in The Volume Sports with sports media personality Colin Cowherd regarding what Harden should do amid the tension in Philadelphia with Morey.
McIntyre said that Harden should make a move similar to what Argentine football icon Lionel Messi did a few months ago, rejecting a billion-dollar offer from Saudi Arabia to play in the MLS with Inter Miami, where the Americans warmly welcomed him.
The analyst explained that Harden should go where he is loved, and the place to be is China.
"Sometimes you've got to feel the love, man," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Andre Iguodala believes that Harden made a calculated move by publicly calling out Daryl Morey in China.
Morey received backlash in the country by showing his support for Hong Kong during their anti-government protests in 2019.
The NBA lost around $150 million to $200 million in revenue during the 2019-20 NBA season due to Morey's social media post, which infuriated many Chinese business partners, causing them to drop sponsorships and the country stopping coverage of the league.
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