NBA great James Harden learns his fate in court after being arrested in the middle of the night on gun charge
A misdemeanor gun charge against NBA legend James Harden has been dismissed in Texas, court records show.
Back in June, Harden was arrested in the middle of the night in Houston on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon in a motor vehicle, before he was released from police custody after posting a $100 bond.
The Cleveland Cavaliers guard had a handgun in plain view that was not in a holster, according to charge documents from the Harris County District Clerk’s Office.
Yet almost seven weeks after his arraignment, Harris County Criminal Court Judge Alex Salgado dismissed the criminal charge Thursday at the request of the district attorney’s office, following Harden’s completion of an alternative resolution program.
Such programs allow defendants to avoid a criminal conviction by doing community service. However, court documents do not detail the exact terms of Harden’s agreement.
Harden was arrested June 13 in Houston after police found the handgun in his vehicle. Texas law makes it a misdemeanor to have a gun ‘in plain view’ in a vehicle without a license, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.
A misdemeanor gun charge against NBA legend James Harden has been dismissed in Texas
Harden was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon in a vehicle
The 36-year-old finished his 17th NBA season in May when the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks swept the Cavs in four games in the Eastern Conference finals. He averaged 23.6 points per game during the regular season, playing in 70 of 82 games.
He has said he’d like to remain with the Cavaliers, but declined to exercise a $42.3million option to return next season in favor of a longer contract. A deal has not been finalized.
Harden is an 11-time All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA selection. He earned MVP honors in the 2017-18 season while playing for the Houston Rockets, averaging 30.4 points per game while the Rockets won the Eastern Conference championship but lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals.
Since his time with the Rockets, he has also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, who traded him to Cleveland this season.
