James Harden Chris Paul Rockets
James Harden #13 and Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets (R) talk on the bench in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on November 26, 2018 in Washington, DC. Rob Carr/Getty Images

The James Harden and Chris Paul saga in Houston has just ended in a sad breakup that sent the perennial point guard to OKC for Russel Westbrook. Hearts were broken, and former partnerships were thrown under the bus for all the obvious reasons.

Since the trade, a lot of rumors have been swirling around the mill. It Included the fractured relationship between the two stars and the fact that they have been losing a lot of playoff basketball in recent years.

On Sunday, James Harden ended the reports of such a feud and said that "all the negative media stuff wasn't true." Contrary to the news, The Beard and CP3 are still friends (somewhat), and if there's anything else, both were just competitors that argued a lot on the court.

Harden added that "there was a lot of false talks," and as contenders for the stacked Western Conference Division, they bickered in a team-oriented manner. "That's just part of basketball, no matter what level of basketball you're in," quipped the seven-time All-Star.

In their two seasons in Houston, Harden and Paul combined to win 118 games but fell short against Golden State for two straight eliminations. Following their second-round exit on the team's 2018-2019 campaign, the media has reported that both had many differences on the court.

Still, In good faith, Harden downplayed the rumors and praised CP3 for the impact on his game. He said that "Chris has been unbelievable these last two years... just all that good stuff."

Paul appeared in 58 regular-season games for Houston last season, averaging a career-low with 15.6 points per game on 41 percent shooting from the field and 35.8 percent from the arc. Despite the low numbers, the court general added 8.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and two steals in 32 minutes.

Later in the interview, James Harden criticized the press for speculating and making up false stories on TV. He said that he wasn't upset about the rumors because he knows the truth. He added that it's "pretty funny" how guys can easily conjure fake stories and get people in believing it.

"Guys have to make sure their facts are true," Harden said that the press should have proof before the media publishes it on the news. He later explained that he and Chris never paid attention to it. "It's the business... I have nothing to say about him," said the MVP.

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