If you are an NBA superstar unhappy with your team, generally the first level of seriousness is being the subject of a tweet from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The second level of seriousness is Shams Charania of The Athletic cutting a video dissecting your motives.
Getting a longform feature about your situation, however, is something else entirely.
76ers guard James Harden was the subject of a buzzy feature from ESPN's Ramona Shelburne Wednesday morning that outlined the depth of resentment between the future Hall of Famer and Philadelphia's brass. Among other episodes, Shelburne reported that Harden "(pouted)" for days after not being voted an All-Star in the winter.
In an Instagram story, Harden appeared to denounce Shelburne's reporting.
"Y'all gotta chill wit these reports," Harden wrote with a trio of cry-laughing emojis. "Imma start reporting s--t."
James Harden’s Instagram story: pic.twitter.com/yL3Gaj327q
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) September 6, 2023
News of Harden's trade request surfaced over the summer, with reports indicating he preferred to join the Clippers. Per Shelburne, the 76ers explored potential deals with Los Angeles and the Knicks but nothing ever came to fruition.
Philadelphia is scheduled to open its season Oct. 26 against the Bucks in Milwaukee.
