Things have been dicey between the Sixers and James Harden after Harden requested a trade earlier this year. He then skipped media day and the first day of training camp before making his return. It's unclear if Harden will play in the Sixers preseason game Wednesday.

Former Sixers owner Michael Rubin, who owned the Sixers from 2011-2022, shared why the current situation between Harden and Philadelphia hurts him. During an appearance on the Pat Bev Pod with, Rubin said if he was still the owner this conflict would not have come up.

“It wouldn't have happened,” Rubin said. First of all, James is family to me. I'm not going to 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 bulls**t. The guy's work ethic for basketball is insane.”

“I block out the noise that relates to him because a lot of people don't know the real James Harden and how badly he wants to win. I think he's in great shape and he's gonna ball out this year.”

Prior to joining the Sixers, James Harden spent the first three seasons of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder before signing with the Houston Rockets and playing there for nine years. He also spent a season and a half with the Brooklyn Nets before coming to Philadelphia in 2022.