James Harden Explains "Blue Lives Matter" Mask: "I Thought It Looked Cool"

James Harden did not know what his face mask represented, explaining that he wore it because it covered his beard.

BYAlex Zidel
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James Harden has been under fire because of the mask he was wearing upon his arrival at the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida. In a photo posted by the Houston Rockets on Twitter, the superstar baller covers his mouth with a mask used to represent Blue Lives Matter

Young Thug previously explained that he is friends with Harden and knows for a fact that he had no clue what the mask meant. Meek Mill also echoed that statement, noting that the hoops star has donated millions of dollars to the Black community and surely meant nothing by the mask.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1283931715082293249

Finally, James is speaking out for himself, reportedly confirming to ESPN's Tim MacMahon that he was oblivious to the message the face-covering was sending.

"It was just something that covered my whole beard," he reportedly said. "I thought it looked cool. That was it. Honestly, I wasn't trying to make a political statement."

https://twitter.com/_/status/1284172027943886848
https://twitter.com/_/status/1284174400711995394

According to MacMahon, Harden is looking into ways he can support the Black Lives Matter movement while he is inside the NBA Bubble, including whether or not he will have a message on the back of his jersey.

Do you forgive him or are you waiting to see what else comes of this?


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About The Author
<b>Managing Editor</b> <!--BR--> Alex Zidel began working at HotNewHipHop as a Staff Writer in February 2018 before becoming the Managing Editor in June 2019. <strong>Favorite Hip Hop Artists:</strong> Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Young Thug, Frank Ocean.