When will James Harden play his first game with the Sixers?

The Sixers will be playing two nationally televised games this week in prime time, but James Harden and his “perfect” Philly beard won’t be on the court.

Philadelphia has two games before the All-Star break — Tuesday against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center, and Thursday on the road against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Both games will air on TNT, with Ian Eagle and Jim Jackson on the call for Tuesday’s matchup.

The Sixers next game on NBC Sports Philadelphia will be against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, Feb. 25, the team’s first game following the All-Star break.

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Harden, whom the Sixers acquired last week from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for disgruntled star Ben Simmons, continues to rehab his left hamstring. The injury caused him to miss his final six games with the Nets.

As a result, he won’t participate in the NBA All-Star game on Sunday, and could take the court for the Sixers on Friday, Feb. 25, against the Timberwolves. That game will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia, called by Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby (who began traveling for road games earlier this month for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began).

Assuming he’s healthy, Harden’s first game in front of Sixers fans at the Wells Fargo Center would be Wednesday, March 2, against the New York Knicks, which will air on both NBC Sports Philadelphia and ESPN.

Harden practiced for the first time with the Sixers on Monday at the team’s training facility in Camden. According to Inquirer beat writer Gina Mizell, Harden did some off-the-dribble and spot-up shooting alongside Sixers second-year guard Tyrese Maxey during the portion of practice that was open to the media.

“Fitting James Harden into an offense is not that hard. It really isn’t. He’s just a terrific basketball player, so you don’t need to overcomplicate it,” Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said Monday.

Veteran power forward Paul Millsap, part of last week’s trade, was also on the court for practice Monday.

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During his 14-year NBA career, Harden has worn exactly one jersey number — 13.

But when he takes the court with the Sixers, he’ll don the No. 1 on his jersey (which had been worn by Andre Drummond, who was sent to Brooklyn as part of the trade).

Why the change? Simple. No. 13 is the retired number of Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain.

Besides Harden and Drummond, a number of former Sixers players wore No. 1: T.J. McConnell, Mike Scott, Landry Shamet, Tim Thomas, Michael Carter-Williams, Ish Smith, and Samuel Dalembert. It was also worn by long-forgotten Sixers mascot Big Shot.

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The Sixers are 34-22, and sit at fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia has 26 games remaining this season, highlighted by a matchup against Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets on March 10 in Philadelphia and a couple of games in March against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.

Here’s what’s left of the Sixers’ 2021-22 schedule, and where you can watch the games:

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