The James Harden saga in Houston came to a merciful end this week when the Rockets orchestrated a four-team deal that will reunite the disgruntled guard with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn. It was the culmination of a months-long debacle that has left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans.
Harden made it clear on multiple occasions that he wasn’t happy with the team’s direction this season and that he had no interest in trying to make it work with new teammate John Wall. He was late showing up to training camp, arrived out of shape, has looked disinterested and disengaged on the court, and let the world no after a loss to the Lakers this week that the situation can’t be fixed.
It was the final straw, and the organization was able to close the chapter on his time in Houston and set themselves up for the future. But despite all that drama, Harden is apparently pressing forward on his plans to open up a new restaurant in the Houston area called Thirteen, a reference to his jersey number.
As you might imagine, angry fans have responded in kind, with several giving bad reviews on Google before the restaurant has even opened its doors.
The reviews on James Harden’s restaurant
pic.twitter.com/T4dklM51Mg
— 𝓛𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓪𝓽 𝓒𝓾𝓻𝓻𝔂 𝓜𝓪𝓷
(@GSWRevenge2021) January 14, 2021
Some are certainly more clever than others, but the sentiment has largely been the same.
Some of the reviews on James Harden’s new restaurant in Houston
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— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) January 14, 2021
The reviews of James Harden’s restaurant is going to be running like this for quite awhile. pic.twitter.com/CvCM2Jtg08
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) January 14, 2021
There were, however, a few diehards who came to his defense.
I get that people are annoyed at the bad reviews on Harden’s restaurant in Houston. But you can’t judge a whole fan base on some fans handling the situation wrong. As you can see from some of the reviews there’s a lot of appreciative fans out there. pic.twitter.com/YDUv7FSSDc
— Scottish Rockets Fan (@RocketsScottish) January 14, 2021
In fairness to Harden, the restaurant hasn’t even opened yet, so there’s no telling whether it’s any good, but once it opens for business on Jan. 22, it’s a safe bet that spurned fans will continue to let their voices be heard.