the never ending James Harden saga continues to amaze me.
James Harden had been away for 10 days for a personal matter, which was an excused absence by the team. When he returned on Wednesday for the Sixers team practice in Camden for a light shooting session, he was approached by team officials he said it would be "beneficial for him to remain in Philly to continue the ramp-up process" instead of joining the team for their two-game road trip (which kicked off last night against the Milwaukee Bucks). Guess he just took it as a suggestion, because he showed up for the flight, and security wouldn't let him on the plane.
According to what league sources told Bleacher Report:
"...Initially, staying back was interpreted as a suggestion rather than a mandate, sources say. Harden proceeded to participate in portions of the session with the intention of joining the the team on the flight to Milwaukee that afternoon. After practice, Harden arrived at the fixed-base operator airport to board the team flight, but he was stopped by a security official who notified him that he was not permitted to accompany the team. General manager Elton Brand and head coach Nick Nurse spoke to Harden to explain that the organization prefers he accepts and follows their workout plan, which includes staying at the practice facility while the team is away, sources say.”
Now, there might be some sort of NBA investigation, according to Adrian Wojnarowski: