It’s no secret that Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden is a guy who does enjoy going out to bars and clubs to try and relax outside of basketball. He has been known to do this often in his career and there is not anything wrong with that as it would be similar to somebody going out for a drink after work.
However, when Harden struggled the way he did in Thursday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets and then he goes out to party with rappers Lil Baby and Travis Scott, it can rub some the wrong way.
After scoring only 11 points on 3-for-17 shooting, Harden went out to a birthday party with the two rappers and he received some backlash for it. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith issued a warning to Harden about his partying and how it will be perceived by Sixers fans:
I know this city. They love you. They appreciate the fact that you are not Ben Simmons, but make no mistake when you play like you played the other night, you can not be seen out partying that night like it meant no big deal to you because the city, I can assure you, it was a big deal to them and be careful James Harden be very, very careful
.@stephenasmith to James Harden after his performance against the Nets:
"I know this city. … When you played like you played the other night, you cannot be seen out partying that night like it meant no big deal to you." pic.twitter.com/hoP3pp9Mbg
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 13, 2022
Harden will have to be able to bounce back from his poor performance as the Sixers move forward. He has a reputation of coming up small in big games so as the season moves forward, he will have to quiet those critics and help Philadelphia get on a roll going into the postseason.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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