NBA Legend 'Extremely Happy' Strip Club Retired James Harden Jersey Before Rockets Did

An NBA legend isn’t just thrilled that the Houston Rockets are retiring James Harden’s number 13 jersey.

After eight impressive seasons with the Rockets, Harden is now set to become only the third player in the franchise’s history after Moses Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon to have his jersey hanged from the rafters.

As the rare moment in Houston nears, ESPN analyst and former NBA star Jalen Rose, shared an intriguing insight about the subject. According to Rose, he is delighted to see an NBA team retire the number of a fellow “lefty” like Harden. For the former Indiana Pacers forward, knowing a strip club did it first makes it even more special.

“You know, James Harden is a man after my heart, he’s a lefty, he gets buckets and his numbers retired at a strip club before he was ever retired by a NBA team, that makes me extremely happy,” Rose recently said on ESPN’s “Jalen & Jacoby.”

“When you look back at the history of the Rockets, they’ve had some fantastic players,” he continued. “Hakeem Olajuwon comes to mind as their all-time great player, I remember Moses Malone playing there, Ralph Sampson playing there, Clyde Drexler as he got older in his career, Tracy McGrady star when he was there, so James Harden winning an MVP and those accolades as a member of the Houston Rockets, absolutely deserves to have his numbers retired.”

Harden spent the best years of his NBA career with the Rockets. For team owner Tilman Fertitta, the nine-time NBA All-Star “will always be a Rocket” regardless of which team he plays for.

“James Harden will always be a Rocket,” Fertitta told Houston Chronicle via text message Tuesday. “Of course, we will retire his jersey. He made my first three years of owning this franchise unforgettable. The success he brought this franchise over eight years and the memories he created for our fan base/community (are) truly remarkable.”

In his first return to Houston, Harden lived up to the hype and recorded his eighth triple-double of the season. “The Beard” scored a team-high 29 points that went along with 14 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Nets beat his former team 132-114.

After the dramatic game, Harden bared that he was happy to have entertained the Rockets fans despite playing for the opposing team.

“I’m excited. We got a win,” the 2018 NBA Season MVP said post-game. “As far as playing in Houston, a lot of mixed emotions from the fans, but [I] knew that was gonna happen. I just wanted to come out here and give them a show.”