James Harden arrested, charged with unlawfully carrying gun in Houston

 Cleveland Cavaliers star James Harden is facing a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully carrying a gun inside a motor vehicle after police arrested him in Houston early Saturday morning, according to Harris County (Texas) District Attorney’s Office documents.

Harden, 36, was arrested at 3:41 a.m. ET and was booked in the Harris County Jail at 4:57 a.m., but has since been released on bond. He has a court date scheduled for June 22. His bond terms, according to a court document, ban him from possessing any firearms, ammunition or other weapons. He must submit to a random urinalysis and is also prohibited from consuming alcohol, controlled substances, drugs or marijuana unless a doctor prescribes it.

The Cavaliers issued a statement Saturday saying the team is aware of the arrest and is in the process of gathering additional information. “We are in contact with James and his representation and will continue to monitor developments as they become available,” the statement said.The Athletic reached out to Harden’s representatives but did not receive an immediate response.

Before Saturday’s arrest, Harden had been the subject of at least one police investigation and multiple civil lawsuits, including one that remains ongoing. In the pending civil case, a woman sued Harden and others in June 2025, alleging she was sexually assaulted by Harden’s nephew while unconscious at a New Year’s Eve party at Harden’s home in Houston.

In 2018, police investigated allegations that Harden grabbed a woman’s wrist, took her cell phone and damaged it outside a nightclub in Scottsdale, Ariz. Harden was not charged after local police sent the case to prosecutors, and the investigation was resolved.Moses Malone Jr., the son of the Hall of Fame center, alleged Harden helped orchestrate an attack against him outside a Houston nightclub after a dispute on social media in 2017. Harden denied the allegations, and multiple courts found insufficient evidence to support the claims, which ended the lawsuit.

A civil suit against Harden from 2013 was settled after a Lakers fan alleged the 2018 MVP punched him outside a West Hollywood nightclub after the fan shouted that Kobe Bryant was a better player. Harden was also involved in an incident with a photographer at a Hollywood nightclub where a photographer sued for assault, battery and negligence. The case went to trial, but a jury found Harden not liable.

The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Harden out of Arizona State with the third pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. After three seasons, including a Sixth Man of the Year campaign in 2011-12, he was traded to the Houston Rockets and was named MVP in 2018 after averaging 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds. The Cavaliers acquired him from the LA Clippers at the trade deadline in February. Before that, he also had stints with the Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers.