Danuel House Jr. offers support for James Harden at Sixers community event: ‘I respect any decision he does’

Danuel House Jr. has a long-standing friendship with disgruntled 76ers star James Harden. They were teammates with the Houston Rockets from 2018-21, then reunited in Philly last season. A reason Harden took a $15 million pay cut last summer was so the Sixers could sign House and fellow former Rocket P.J. Tucker.

Yet when asked Wednesday about Harden’s uncertain future with the Sixers following a summer trade request and messy aftermath, House said, “I have no knowledge about it.”

“JH is a man, at the end of the day. I’m a man,” House said following a visit to H.B. Wilson Family School in Camden as part of the Sixers’ Back-to-School Tip-Off Tour. “I respect any decision that he does. Everything that’s going on, [I] don’t know.”

» READ MORE: A breakdown of the Sixers’ preseason depth chart — with or without James Harden

Sixers teammates have had periodic opportunities this offseason to speak publicly about the Harden saga, after last season’s NBA assist leader (10.7. per game) exercised his $35.6 player option but simultaneously asked to be moved.

Reigning league Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid told Showtime at Summer League in July that he “[wants Harden] to come back, obviously, so we can accomplish what we want, which is a championship. Hopefully his mindset can be changed.” When veteran guard Patrick Beverley, another former Harden teammate in Houston, was introduced as a Sixer a few days later, he said, “James, I love you, bro. Stay” and “Hell yeah, you want him here.” After Harden called Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a “liar” in August, however, Tucker posted a photo of him and Harden on Instagram with these lyrics from rapper Lil Baby: “I’m not acrobatic, I’m not flippin’ on my bros.”

House, meanwhile, chose to return to Philly when he picked up his $ 4.3 million player option in June. The veteran wing said one reason for that decision was because “I feel at home” in Philly and that he desired opportunities, such as Wednesday’s event less than three miles from the Sixers’ practice facility, to impact the community. New Sixers center Mo Bamba is scheduled to appear at Thursday’s tour stop at General George A. McCall School, while Friday’s event will be held at E. Washington Rhodes Elementary School.

“It was a no-brainer [to come back],” House said. “I’m excited that I got the chance to [visit] this school. I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to be in Philly. … [These kids] made my day. There’s nothing more I can ask for.”

An elementary school assembly was an ideal setting for House, who is one of the Sixers’ more gregarious personalities. He ran around the auditorium asking young students to scream into a microphone, then tossed T-shirts from the stage into the crowd. He drew parallels between the first days of school and returning from the NBA offseason, noting both require discipline, time, dedication, patience, and work ethic. And when a first-grader named Journey said she was a big fan and loved his No. 25, House promised her a signed jersey that he would hand-deliver to the school if necessary.

“That kind of took me by surprise,” House said of the interaction with the young girl. “This is probably the first time that she got close [to me], so I wanted to make sure to show her we care about the community. We care about you. We want to make sure that you’re successful.”

House is coming off an inconsistent first season with the Sixers, but could have a more solidified role in 2023-24 following the departures of Jalen McDaniels and Georges Niang. House boasts the athleticism and toughness to defend and run the floor while providing the occasional scoring burst, such as when he went 5-of-7 from the floor for 10 points in the Sixers’ Game 5 win over the Boston Celtics in the playoffs’ second round.

» READ MORE: Sixers to hold first training camp under Nick Nurse in Colorado

When asked about his offseason training, House coyly said, “I worked on a few things.” He also did not offer much when asked about his early relationship with new Sixers coach Nick Nurse, saying, “I haven’t had too much time to really talk to him.” House redirected both questions back to the school in which he stood, adding he wished he had snagged one of the blue pencil pouches he passed out to the students as they filed back to their classrooms.

“[I want] to let the community of Philadelphia know that we’re not just strictly caring about ball, that we want to reach people in the community,” House said. “I’m a father myself, so I want to make sure that I’m planting a good seed and leaving a good impression for someone else so that they can carry on. Because this is tomorrow. This is our future. We’ve got to take care of our future. …

“You never know who might be the president or who might make a change … You’ve just got to make sure that you plant the seed, that you water it, and that you watch it grow.”