While a dispute between the Philadelphia 76ers and one of its star players works itself out, it may be time for the team to rethink its strategy for dealing with him. In less than the time it took for you to read this, fans in China bought 10,000 bottles of wine from NBA player James Harden. His response included a cartwheel and a surprised reaction when finding out.
According to the South China Morning Post, the signature wine, J-Harden, owned by the future NBA Hall of Famer, sold 10,000 bottles within 10 seconds of announcing that it could be purchased during a live stream. The feat shocked the 76ers basketball player, causing him to do a cartwheel after confirming the sales amount on a nearby computer.
James Harden is having the time of his life in China ???????? sold 10,000 bottle of wine in 5 secs
pic.twitter.com/lGQKWp8Hhd
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 16, 2023
Less than one week after declaring that he would never play for a team that 76ers’ president Daryl Morey is a part of and calling him a liar, this was great news for the NBA All-Star.
Harden is in China promoting his sneakers with Adidas and selling his wine.
In 2019, Morey created a big controversy when he tweeted his support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong when he was general manager of the Houston Rockets at the time. Coincidentally, Harden was a member of the Rockets when this took place. The Rockets were in China at the time for a preseason basketball exhibition.
Due to Morey’s comment, Chinese officials suspended the annual NBA China Games and coverage of NBA games in China for the 2019-20 season. Although Morey eventually apologized for the Tweet, the damage had already been done.
There is speculation that consumers in China still remember the comments Morey made and, due to Harden’s recent remarks about Morey, could have fueled the massive sales.
Recently retired Golden State Warriors player Andre Iguodala also commented on Harden’s recent statement regarding Morey on “Gil’s Arena” basketball podcast.
“Harden can say something, and there may not be any backlash because there is a history there with Daryl Morey and China, so it was a great move out of leverage by James,” Iguadola said.
