HOUSTON — James Harden had his homecoming Wednesday night, when the Nets star played for the first time at a full-capacity Toyota Center since his ugly exit from the Rockets.
His reception was mixed, with mostly cheers during pregame introductions amid scattered boos. There was a shockingly sparse crowd to see the star who won an MVP award in 2018 with the Rockets and was returning with the first-place Nets.
“I hope he gets a great reception,” Houston coach Stephen Silas said. “You know, he’s one of the best Rockets ever. So I would assume he gets a great reception.”
Harden — whose first return last season was marred by the COVID-19 pandemic and a mostly empty arena — had irked many in Houston by the way he forced his way out of town, doing everything possible to angle his way to Brooklyn.
He rejected a chance to become the NBA’s first $50 million-a-year player when he turned down the Rockets’ contract extension offer. He publicly proclaimed the Rockets to be broken beyond repair and fussed with teammates at practice. He missed the start of camp and showed up on video going maskless at a party in a Houston club.
All of that drama was both out of character and off-brand for Harden. In the end, however, he has said it was necessary to maneuver his way to Brooklyn. But now that he’s a Net, Harden said he still holds Houston close to his heart.
“I was there eight years. My whole entire family is there. I’ve got a lot of things going on there. But just for me, obviously a lot of emotions,” Harden said. “But for me, I’m trying to get a win. This is about racking up as many wins as we can.”
Harden isn’t short of things going on in Houston, or of love for the city that in many ways is still home.
His restaurant Thirteen is a brisk five-minute walk from Toyota Center. Even after he was traded, Harden worked to provide food and water for Houstonians after millions were left without power and heat by a winter storm. And in August he put on a charity concert at Bayou Music Center, promoted under Harden’s JH-Town Weekend brand, which for years has raised money for numerous city initiatives.
And that’s all since he came to Brooklyn. It doesn’t consider the bonds he built and the work he did before, such as donating $1 million to help with Hurricane Harvey relief.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta had already vowed to raise Harden’s number to the Toyota Center rafters once he retires.
“I definitely think it means something to James,” Nets coach Steve Nash said of Harden’s return. “I don’t want to overstate it, but I definitely don’t want to understate it. He had a historic run here, and I know this city means a lot to him.
“He’s had such a fantastic relationship with the city and the organization and those historic seasons and numbers he put up here. I think it’s always going to be special to him.”
Was it going to be extra special for the Rockets? Eric Gordon spent four-plus years playing alongside Harden, and Jae’Sean Tate learned by watching him as a rookie, but this is largely a different team with a different roster — one Silas said isn’t looking at this reunion any differently than any other game.
“I wouldn’t think so. I haven’t heard … they’ve talked about it much at all, or whatever. We’re very different than when he was on the team last year. There’s just a couple of guys left,” Silas said. “No, for us, it’s hopefully an opportunity to get our seventh in a row.”
The visit on March 3 featured a video tribute on the Toyota Center overhead scoreboard, and a mixed reaction from the crowd of just 3,615. There were plenty of cheers and a smattering of boos, although those lasted far longer throughout the night.
Granted, that might have been due to Harden’s 29 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, which led his new team to a 132-114 drubbing of his old one. Harden and his Nets were hoping for a repeat performance Wednesday.