James Harden Calls Reporter “Weirdo” After Verbal Exchange

James Harden hasn’t been playing his best basketball two games into the Houston Rockets Portland Trailblazers first round series. Following their loss on Wednesday night, Harden was asked what he could do to get his offense going. His response was that he wasn’t focused on his offense, he was more concerned with team defense. P.S. James is shooting 29% over the last two games.

Harden’s frustration started to show through when he and NBA.Com‘s Fran Blinebury have an exchange that ended in Harden calling him a “weirdo” for asking how he can pick up his offense. When the media session ended, Harden had a few questions for Blinebury via The Oregonian

But when his media session in the Rockets opulent locker room ended, Harden went back at the reporter, asking if he had ever seen a player not play well before. The reporter answered that the struggle seemed unusual for Harden and was coming on a major stage, the playoffs.

The two went back and forth for a while, with Harden asking the reporter if he’d ever seen a basketball game before, then demanding to know whom the reporter was. The exchange got testy enough that team officials stepped in to usher Harden out.

As he left the room, Harden called the reporter “weirdo.”

A lot more than money comes along with “Star Status.” That’s why you get paid the big bucks. To perform on court and explain when you don’t.