Houston Rockets superstar James Harden got himself in hot water on Thursday for allegedly promoting pro-police movement for flaunting a face mask with a “Punisher” logo.
Some Twitter users quickly called out the 30-year-old guard for Harden's possibly deaf-tone choice, especially with the NBA's current major support for the Black Lives Movement, which denounces police brutality.
The Masked Beard!#WholeNewGame pic.twitter.com/DJrp23M5TL
— NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2020
The fact that James Harden posed in a “wear a mask” photo also drew strong reactions:
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1283931715082293249
For the love of GOD tell me James Harden isn’t wearing a mask called “the blue patriot” pic.twitter.com/nSf1Vu4ig9
— Sam Presti (@SamPrestiGM) July 17, 2020
— Rhonda Santis (@lib_crusher) July 17, 2020
Harden clearly has damage control to do.
Adding more fuel to the fire was the fact that the mask used by James Harden has an image of the US flag in black. The Punisher logo, on the other hand, has some blue stripes, which interestingly is considered the universal color for the police.
While the famed skull emblem is based on Marvel's comic book character Frank Castle (AKA The Punisher), the police have embraced its image as an unofficial logo. We might soon learn if James Harden knew this or not.
Peace advocates have long questioned the police's choice, considering the Punisher character is an extremely violent vigilante crimefighter.
Aside from his amazing talents on the hardwood, James Harden is also known for his rather interesting fashion choices.
It remains unclear if James Harden intended to send a cryptic message by donning the mask, and there's also a possibility that he simply likes the character.
The Beard is now inside the bubble at Disney World in Orlando, Florida after joining the rest of his teammates last Tuesday.
James Harden will look to continue his strong showing this season, where he averaged a league-best 34.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.7 steals before the hiatus.
The Rockets, meanwhile, seek to get back to the top four in the stacked Western Conference after recording a 40-24 record (6th place).
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