James Harden is starting to become public enemy number one in the eyes of NBA fans. The star guard is currently requesting a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden's devil-may-care attitude during this whole process has put a damper on the support for the star. Now, more info about the Sixers star's ‘pouting' has emerged.

If you'll recall, last season, James Harden was surprisingly not part of the NBA All-Star game, even as a reserve. At the time, fans just chalked it up to some bizarre favoritism against Harden. As it turns out… that might not be the case. Per ESPN's latest report, the league gave Harden a chance to be a replacement for the injured Kevin Durant. What happened?

“Still, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was prepared to name him (Sixers star James Harden) as an injury replacement, sources said. Harden just had to give assurances that he would show up and play in the game. Days went by without Harden's answer. He was pouting. By the time Harden sent word that he would accept the invitation, Silver had moved on, naming Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as the replacement for an injured Durant.”

Harden did not initially make the cut as one of the reserves for the 2023 All-Star Game. With many stars begging off due to injury, many expected the Sixers star to be selected as a replacement. However, according to this report, Harden was late to respond to Adam Silver's call.

Was Harden “pouting” and expressing his annoyance after being snubbed? It's likely, though we can't be too sure: this is just a second-hand or even third-hand account of what happened). All we know is that the Sixers star's delay in response to Silver's inquiry led to him completely being snubbed out of the game. There are parallels to his current situation that indicate that he could've been pissed: Harden likely felt disrespected (both by the All-Star snub and the Sixers not deciding to sign him a new contract), and now he's expressing his frustration.

This situation seems like it's headed for a rather messy resolution. The Sixers are steadfast in their resolve to not trade James Harden. Harden, meanwhile, is hellbent on destroying every bridge in his quest to be traded. Buckle up folks: this is about to get dramatic quickly.