Rockets Legend James Harden Arrested on Weapons Charges in Houston

The next update will take place on June 22nd.

May 23, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) looks on in the third quarter against the New York Knicks during game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

James Harden loves the city of Houston. That much is known.

Understandably, as it's the birthplace of his NBA superstardom. Former long-time Rockets front office executive Daryl Morey pulled off the deal of the century 14 years ago, trading Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb to the Oklahoma City Thunder, along with two first-round draft picks and a second-round draft pick for 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year.

On Saturday morning, Harden — now a Cavaliers' guard — was arrested in Houston on weapons charges, and was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle -- a misdemeanor. The specific issue was that Harden had an unholstered firearm in plain sight of his motor vehicle.

Although it is not illegal to carry a firearm in your motor vehicle in Texas, as it is an open-carry state, Texas law states that the firearm, in question, must be holstered. 

Harden's arrest took place in Harris County at 3:41 AM and he was booked at 4:57 AM, after posting a $100 bond. Harden's next setting will be on June 22nd.

Harden pioneered the Rockets to eight consecutive postseason appearances, five 50-win seasons and two Western Conference Finals appearances (both of which took place against the Golden State Warriors, in 2015 and 2018). Houston's 2018 series loss to the Warriors was ranked as one of the biggest postseason collapses of the century, across all sports.

Alot has changed since then. Harden forced his way out of town in 2021, in a historic deal between the Rockets and Brooklyn Nets that was executed by Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone (Morey's replacement). The following year, Harden was on the move again -- this time to the Philadelphia 76ers, reuniting Harden with Morey, his long-time business partner in Houston. 

One year later, Harden was yet again on the move, this time to the LA Clippers, although Harden tried to return to the Rockets -- an overture that was shot down by Rockets coach Ime Udoka. 

Two years later, Harden was dealt once more, this time to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yet again, Harden attempted to reunite with the Rockets, who were in need of a table-setting guard, following Fred VanVleet’s season-ending ACL tear -- to no avail.

Harden's relationship with Houston hasn't suffered, even with his many trades to other cities. He continually spends time in the city, and has owned businesses. He's also helped to provide disaster relief to Houstonians, particularly following Winter Storm Uri, in 2021 -- the freeze that culminated in 246 Texas-wide deaths and caused a financial fallout ranging from $80 to $130 billion.