James Harden says he didn’t know political symbolism of blue mask

“Honestly, I wasn’t trying to make a political statement,” Harden said. “I just wore it because it covered my whole face, and my beard.”

Houston Rockets star James Harden inadvertently created a social media firestorm on Thursday night, when social media posts from his team and the NBA showed him wearing a controversial blue mask.

Harden’s face covering included a thin blue line, which has become known as a symbol representing the Blue Lives Matter organization. Critics have claimed that the pro-police symbol also stands for white supremacy and opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Earlier Thursday, Harden stated his support for Houston’s recent march for George Floyd, a black man, died on May 25 after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis. As a result, it seemed farfetched that Harden would wear the blue mask with understanding of the symbolism.

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On Friday, Harden clarified before Houston’s practice at the NBA “bubble” in Florida that that was indeed the case.

“Honestly, I wasn’t trying to make a political statement,” Harden said. “I just wore it because it covered my whole face, and my beard.”

Harden was then directly asked if he knew the meaning. He replied:

No. I just felt like it was something that covered my whole face, and the beard. I thought it looked cool, that was it.

Harden explained that many conventional masks are difficult for him to wear, owing to the size of his famed beard.

The 30-year-old Harden, who has not been outspoken on political issues during his eight years in Houston, finished his comments on the mask controversy by making a clear statement regarding his personal beliefs and his support for the growing U.S. racial justice movement.

“It’s pretty simple,” Harden said Friday. “As I clearly talked about yesterday, me finding a way — whether it’s my jersey name, or another way, to show my support for Black Lives Matter.”

“Honestly, in every profession, there are people that honestly do their job at a high level,” Harden continued. “And then there’s BS people, in every profession. That was it. I wasn’t there to make a political statement.”

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