Did James Harden throw a chair at Kawhi Leonard? Viral rumors debunked

After losing 105-101 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the LA Clippers dropped to 0-4 with star guard James Harden. Following the tough loss, reports surfaced surrounding the team’s frustration. This includes a report that Harden threw a chair at co-star Kawhi Leonard. However, the report is false.

The report comes courtesy of the infamous parody outlet Ballsack Sports, which regularly shares fabricated news stories. In addition to reporting that Harden threw a chair at Leonard, the outlet reported that he requested a trade after just four games with LA:

“James Harden reportedly ‘wants out’ of Los Angeles. Harden threw a chair in the Clippers locker room that inadvertently struck Kawhi Leonard,” Ballsack Sports reported.

Harden’s start in LA has indisputably been less than ideal. However, fortunately for Clippers fans, the situation is not dire enough that the star guard is already looking to jump ship.

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Ty Lue on James Harden struggling to fit in with Clippers

LA Clippers star guard James Harden and Clippers coach Ty Lue

Following LA’s loss to Memphis, Clippers coach Ty Lue spoke about Harden’s early struggles fitting in with his new team.

Lue said that Harden has been trying too hard to conform, which has prevented him from playing his best:

“I think he's doing too much to try to fit in,” Lue said.

“So, that's on me. Just yesterday we had a talk amongst the team and just he has to be James Harden. He led the league in assists the last two or three years and making plays and what he does in the pick and roll. He's great. So, we have to allow him to be himself.”

The Clippers’ Big 4 of Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook have struggled to gel so far. Each star is averaging between 13.5 and 18.8 points per game through four games together, with the team lacking a clear-cut No. 1 scoring option.

According to Harden, who is averaging the least points of the quartet, he needs to be more aggressive offensively:

“It's to be more aggressive,” Harden said.

“Not just shooting, but just attacking and getting into the paint and making the right basketball plays.”

Through four games with LA, Harden is averaging 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 3-pointers per game on 47.2% shooting.

The Clippers (3-6) next chance to secure their first win with Harden will come on the road against the defending champion Denver Nuggets (8-2) on Tuesday.