Former minority managing partner Michael Rubin comments on the James Harden situation with the Philadelphia 76ers.
With the 2023-24 season right around the corner in the NBA, all eyes are on the James Harden situation with the Philadelphia 76ers. The future Hall of Famer requested his trade this summer. While he has rejoined the team amid the request, there is still an appetite to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Harden averaged 21 points and led the league in assists at 10.7 per game in the 2022-23 season, so this is all a bit disappointing for the franchise.
Former Sixers part-time managing partner Michael Rubin hopped on “The Pat Bev Pod” with Sixers guard Patrick Beverley, and he gave his thoughts on the Harden situation:
First of all, James is family to me. I’m not gonna hide about that. I love James. This thing is breaking my heart. This thing was just not handled well. … There’s nobody who wants to win a championship more than James Harden. I know this guy like my brother. People give James a hard time because he likes to have fun and it’s (expletive). The guy’s work ethic for basketball is insane.
The Sixers will take on the Celtics on Wednesday without Harden as coach Nick Nurse continues to ramp him up. The Sixers would like to keep the future Hall of Famer as they continue toward opening night in Milwaukee on Oct. 26.
This had to be the worst 4th of July cookout ever.
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If you logged on during the holiday, you probably saw the all-white party Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin threw in the Hamptons. The video is circulating everywhere on the internet right now.
There were so many celebrities. JAY-Z and Beyoncé, all the Kardashians and Jenners, Usher, Tom Brady, James Harden, Joel Embiid … really the entire Philadelphia 76ers team. Pick a name out of a celebrity influencer hat and that person was probably at the party.
And it was probably cool for our celebrity overlords. But, look: I’m just going to say it. Either this party was an elaborate rouse to bring James Harden back to Philadelphia, or it was just…not a good party. At least as far as Fourth of July parties go. This joint looked trash. There. I said it.
Maybe I’m being a bit harsh. But I’m not just hating because I didn’t get an invite. My net worth isn’t even close to being able to go to something like this.
I’m just saying, man. There were hundreds of billions of dollars in net worth frolicking around and nobody thought “Yo, maybe we should pay somebody to grill?” Y’all couldn’t call anybody, Michael Rubin?
The only edible thing I saw in that video was a cake. CAKE. On the 4th of July. This is one of those holidays where eating meat is basically a requirement (if you eat meat). And all they had in that video was a cake. Yes, that’s the third time I’ve mentioned the cake. But I really need y’all to understand how big of a violation this is.
It’s the July 4th, man. I know Joey Chestnut ate all the hot dogs we had left in America, but couldn’t somebody have brought some ribs? It takes 10 minutes to whip up a cheeseburger. Michael Rubin could’ve put SOMEBODY on slider duty.
But nope. Nobody had a speck of ketchup or barbeque sauce on their clothes. There wasn’t anybody with an apron on in some Jesus sandals next to a burning fire. At least they had fireworks, I guess? But bruh. Come on. Not a single one of y’all was hungry? I don’t get it.
Maybe when you’re that rich you don’t feed off of food anymore. Maybe it’s just the money that keeps one satiated. If that’s the case, though, I think I’ll just stay a broke boy for the rest of my life.
I love cheeseburgers too much for that.
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The Grammy winner dished on his gambling habit, including one big loss in the Bahamas.
Lil Baby is undeniably one of the hottest artists in music right now.
The Grammy award-winner’s latest offering released Oct. 14, It’s Only Me, became his third album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and his sixth straight project in the top 10.
But while he can’t seem to lose in music, he’s not immune to the same defeats all serial gamblers frequently suffer. Actually, his success in music means his losses are bigger.
In a recent episode of Complex’s 360 With Speedy Morman, Baby told a story about losing $600,000 gambling in the Bahamas with Drake, Meek Mill, James Harden and former 76ers owner Michael Rubin.
This particular loss still burns judging by the look on his face.
Later in the interview, Baby said that’s not even his worse loss.
“The say you’re gonna lose more than you win, but over time you can’t even remember,” he said. “That’s the crazy part. You don’t even know [if you’re up or down].”
To be fair to Baby, he apparently has plenty of big wins to offset his losses. He said he won $2 million playing Baccarat in Las Vegas.
“I win all the time. I lose all the time too. … I just feel like if I’m lucky today, I’m lucky. If I’m not, I’m not,” he said.
It sounds like Baby is giving Drake a run for his money when it comes to rappers who gamble. Drake, of course, frequently posts to social media his wins on Stake, the crypto betting site he partners with.
Rubin, the CEO of Fanatics, recently sold his stake in the company that owns the 76ers and New Jersey Devils, due to conflicts with Fanatics’ expansion into sports betting.
David Adelman has purchased a significant portion of Michael Rubin’s 10% stake in the Philadelphia 76ers.
Over the summer, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin sold his 10% stake in the Philadelphia 76ers and HBSE to facilitate his company’s entry into the sports betting world. It made sense considering what Rubin and Fanatics were planning to do at the time.
Now, a part of Rubin’s stake has been purchased by David Adelman, the Campus Apartments CEO. However, Adelman is not buying all 10%. Josh Harris and David Blitzer have other plans for it.
The rest of his stake is being consolidated by managing partner Josh Harris, co-managing partner David Blitzer and additional limited partners.
Adelman is leading the project to move the Sixers to Center City by 2031.
Billionaire entrepreneur David Adelman is buying a significant portion of Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin’s stake to join the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils ownership groups (HBSE). Adelman, a Philadelphia-area native, is currently leading development of 76ers‘ new arena.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks says the league should investigate the Philadelphia 76ers over the James Harden negotiations.
The Philadelphia 76ers have not yet signed James Harden to a new deal after the future Hall of Famer opted out of his player option to allow the Sixers to have financial flexibility, but the agreement should be coming soon.
With Harden opting out, Philadelphia was able to go out and bring in PJ Tucker and Danuel House Jr. in free agency. This is because Harden is set to take a $15 million pay cut to open up potential signings for the team and improve the roster.
Harden taking this big of a pay cut has the league buzzing and it brings up questions of why he would take this pay cut. Some believe due to his relationship with former Sixers governor Michael Rubin, he will be receiving money on the side in order to make up for the money he is giving up.
Therefore, ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who worked with the Brooklyn Nets before joining ESPN in 2017, believes the league should investigate the Sixers over the Harden deal.
Let’s just connect the dots here. You have an owner, or former owner, in Michael Rubin, probably one of the wealthiest American former owners, billionaire. Fanatics. Just has this big party. You got all these NBA guys there. There’s a relationship with James Harden already. There was a relationship with James Harden when he was in a Brooklyn Nets uniform, there’s no denying that, and now you have him taking $15 million less where I was texting with a couple teams and I said what was what’s the $15 million made up with? Fanatic stock? And they said ‘maybe’ so I would think that if you’re the league and you’re looking at—Hey, we got investigated for Andrei Kirilenko. Right? Kirilenko opted out of $10 million in Minnesota and signed with with for $4 (million) because we had a Russian owner and the league felt like that we were basically bank rolling him in an offshore account for the difference here. So, for me, I would think, because of the difference of what, as I said, it’s not $36 million, that the league should look into the Sixers and Philly can say like, ‘You know what? He’s doing it out of the charity of his heart because he wants to get the team better’ and that’s great. And maybe it is, but if I was the league, I would certainly look into as far as what happened in Philadelphia with his contract.
It is interesting to see Harden taking $15 million less, and maybe his relationship with Rubin plays a factor, but in this case, the veteran star is missing just one thing on his resume: a championship. This is a move that looks like a guy who is willing to sacrifice some money to bring in some help in order to finally get to the mountaintop in the NBA.
Chris Haynes: Daryl Morey tells @YahooSports, @NBATV that negotiations with James Harden is “still in progress” and in a “good place.” Talks are a collaborating effort of Harden, Morey, Harden’s business partner Lorenzo McCloud and Michael Rubin. …
Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Was out walking my dog and passed by a young kid shooting on a hoop in his driveway. He was taking step back threes. Told him he looked like James Harden.
He shook his head and said, Brandon Ingram.
Smart kid – 7:30 PM
Chris Haynes @ChrisBHaynes
Daryl Morey tells @YahooSports, @NBATV that negotiations with James Harden is “still in progress” and in a “good place.” Talks are a collaborating effort of Harden, Morey, Harden’s business partner Lorenzo McCloud and Michael Rubin. Both sides optimistic a deal will be done soon. – 7:08 PM
Dave Early @DavidEarly
Chris Haynes said he’s just confirmed James Harden will get $15m less this season. He and his partner Lorenzo McLoud are working out fine print with Michael Rubin and Daryl Morey. – 5:28 PM
Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Paul Reed, Tyrese Maxey and president Daryl Morey are among the Sixers here taking in the game. – 3:55 PM
Dave Early @DavidEarly
Chris Haynes on NBA TV said the Sixers are still working out the final dollar amount James Harden will receive. – 3:34 PM
Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#NBA story: James Harden allows the #Sixers to bolster roster by accepting $15 million less than he could’ve earned for the 2022-23 season. They are capable of taking back more money in a trade, too: https://t.co/lGN8nYB0zx pic.twitter.com/yskWEs5rGR – 8:59 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Royce O’Neale said he got a call from Taurean Prince, his fellow Baylor Bear, shortly after getting traded to the Nets. “You’re going to love it there,” Prince told him. Prince, who was dealt by BK in the James Harden trade, vouched for Sean Marks and the rest of the org. – 8:03 PM
Derek Bodner @DerekBodnerNBA
James Harden will reportedly sign a two-year deal with the Sixers, giving him a starting salary of ~$32.4 million, with the second year a player option.
Here’s how that impacts the Sixers, both in the short and long term. dailysix.com/james-harden-w… – 7:14 PM
Justin Garcia @tmjgarcia
There’s a lot thats been said about Harden but he’s literally putting his money where his mouth is – 4:19 PM
Austin Krell @NBAKrell
Spotrac estimates that Harden’s 2022-23 salary will be $32,692,308; total contract value of $68,000,00; raise in year 2 of just a shade below the max 8%. – 4:12 PM
Noah Levick @NoahLevick
Can confirm James Harden will be taking a significant pay cut with the clear priority of strengthening the Sixers, though told no deal’s finalized yet. @Shams Charania reported Harden plans to sign 2-year deal w/a player option for yr. 2.
Initial story: nbcsports.com/philadelphia/s… – 3:49 PM
Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#NBA story: James Harden is reportedly taking $15 million less to play for the #Sixers in 2022-23, which allowed Daryl Morey to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.: https://t.co/706TBYt6ZH #76ers pic.twitter.com/vmoan0K2pM – 3:41 PM
Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
While a deal still has to be fully agreed to and signed, a $15 million James Harden paycut and 1+1 deal would (and has) helped the Sixers, giving Harden a chance to rediscover his MVP form without needing to take on long-term risk phillyvoice.com/james-harden-1… – 3:36 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Since becoming a starter 10 seasons ago, James Harden leads the NBA in:
Games with 10+ points
Games with 20+ points
Games with 30+ points
Games with 40+ points
Games with 50+ points
Games with 60+ points pic.twitter.com/ssIcidJMMO – 3:14 PM
Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
Props to James Harden. He’s putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to winning. Not many guys willing to do the same. – 3:12 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
the idea that Harden willingly left $15 million on the table solely b/c he cares about the Sixers and is only focused on a title is humorous.
Harden has seen his value drop dramatically and (unlike Kyrie) he was willing to accept this new reality and frame it as an unselfish act pic.twitter.com/cHWudql1ox – 3:11 PM
Sam Amick @sam_amick
Wrote in February about the Sixers’ belief that James Harden would be willing to take less to bolster Philly’s roster. As @Shams Charania reports, he has done just that. Big win for Daryl Morey & Co.
https://t.co/3hxRlQMuLK pic.twitter.com/BPJyT3agUx – 3:11 PM
Austin Krell @NBAKrell
A $15m paycut would take Harden’s salary to approx $32,400,000.
Factoring in all the other moves they’ve made this offseason, they have roughly $5,364,368 below the apron. – 3:09 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Free agents still available:
James Harden
Deandre Ayton
Collin Sexton
Miles Bridges
Dennis Schroder
Eric Bledsoe
Montrezl Harrell
Jordan Nwora
Jeremy Lamb
Carmelo Anthony
DeMarcus Cousins
Frank Jackson
Josh Jackson
Hassan Whiteside
Blake Griffin
Austin Rivers
Juancho Hernangomez – 9:34 AM
