James Harden, the 11-time All-Star, was arrested in Houston early Saturday morning on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful carrying of a semi-automatic rifle. According to court records, Harden allegedly had a handgun in his vehicle, which was in plain view and not carried in a holster.

Background

The arrest occurred two weeks after Harden’s team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, was eliminated from the NBA playoffs. Harden was at a local hookah lounge with friends before his arrest. The Cavaliers said in a statement that they are aware of the arrest and are gathering additional information.

Harden played for the Houston Rockets from 2012 until 2021, when he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He was named the MVP of the 2017-18 season and led the NBA in scoring each season from that year through 2019-20.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.