James Harden can take over any game for the Rockets. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
The Houston Rockets superstar was seen walking into a hotel with some type of face covering. Now we have a better look of what it was.
Houston Rockets star James Harden arrived in the Orlando bubble five days after the majority of his team did. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard was seen carrying his luggage into the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa Tuesday evening around 10 p.m. ET.
If you observe the video closely, you’ll notice him wearing some type of face protection. However, it’s nearly impossible to tell what exactly it was due to the lighting and his fedora. Two nights later, the mystery was solved.
The Rockets’ Twitter account flashed a photo of Harden in the hotel Thursday evening around 9 p.m. ET. He’s wearing a light black Adidas hoodie with the letter “H” etched in the colors black and white.
But the most noticeable attire on Harden, covering his nose and illustrious beard, is what appears to be a Thin Blue Line mask. One can make out the bottom of a skull design in the top left corner of the mask. To the right are black stars in the same format as the ones on the United States flag. Rounding out the mask design is black, blue and gray-colored stripes lined up and down.
Considering Harden has his hood on while inside the hotel, this mystery might have lived for another day if the photographer hadn’t gotten up close and personal for the shot.
Despite the creative design of the mask, the initial Twitter reactions to a brand supporting the police were predictably negative . The “thin blue line” is a term referring to police being the line that keeps society from descending into violent chaos.
After the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many others, showing up to the NBA restart wearing a mask with that type of “Blue Lives Matter” sentiment is less than ideal. In fact, it almost directly contradicts the Black Lives Matter movement, and NBA Twitter let Harden have it:
Most people are speculating Harden is wearing something called the Blue Patriot, a winter fleece face mask meant to represent local law enforcement. It’s understandable why fans would feel this upset in the world’s current climate of protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
As of now, Harden’s specific reason for wearing the mask is unknown. Hopefully it’s a sheer case of not knowing what the mask symbolized, but for the time being, all we can do is speculate.