James Harden, the star basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers and a former Houston Rocket, was arrested in Harris County, Texas with a misdemeanor for unlawfully carrying a firearm.
NBA star James Harden has been arrested on a weapons charge just four months after joining the Cleveland Cavaliers
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) June 13, 2026
Police reportedly found a handgun sitting in plain view in his car’s cup holder pic.twitter.com/GfnnWMHRv3
James Harden arrested Saturday morning for unlawfully carrying a handgun in a motor vehicle, per @Edward__Lewis.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) June 13, 2026
Harden has been released on bond.
Arraignment scheduled for June 22.
Harden was arrested early Saturday morning at approximately 3:40 AM. Reports indicate that Harden was carrying a firearm inside of his vehicle, where he had stored the weapon in his vehicle’s cupholder.
While the circumstances surrounding the arrest aren’t widely known, many conservatives and gun rights activists have condemned the arrest as a violation of Harden’s Second Amendment rights.
This is BS.
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) June 14, 2026
James Harden gets pulled over while traveling in a private vehicle. They notice a firearm and arrest him for it.
What the heck happened to “Shall not be infringed”
This is 100% unconstitutional https://t.co/pCtK2Uvayf pic.twitter.com/goGay6An0o
Texas allows constitutional carry, yet James Harden was arrested because his legally owned firearm wasn’t in a holster in his vehicle.
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) June 13, 2026
The government has no business micromanaging how a law-abiding citizen secures their own gun. https://t.co/lPsI7C44HK
Gun Owners of America, one of the premier organizations advocating for the Second Amendment, accurately remarked that the decision was made simply because Harden’s firearm had lacked a holster.
Texas boasts of their status as a constitutional carry state with robust firearms protections. However, Texas law prohibits individuals in vehicles from openly carrying a firearm in plain view of other motor vehicles while the weapon is unholstered. Based on the language of the law and the limited facts available regarding the case, it is unclear if the arresting officer had noticed the firearm while located in his patrol vehicle or after approaching Harden’s car on foot.
With the high-profile nature of the arrest and the willingness of firearms advocacy organizations to speak openly about the case, that provision of Texas law may soon face legal challenges.
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