Rockets' James Harden Says He's 'Good' With Chris Paul

Reports surfaced about friction between Harden and Paul toward the end of the season prior to CP3's trade to the Thunder.

Rockets star James Harden spoke publicly Saturday about his relationship with former teammate Chris Paul, who was traded to the Thunder earlier this month for Russell Westbrook, at his annual basketball camp in Houston.

Rumors had surfaced after the season about a rocky relationship between the two. Harden said there was a lot of "false talk" in the media and everything is “good” with Paul. The seven-time NBA All-Star also thanked Paul for helping him become a better leader and mentor.

“There was a lot of false talk,” Harden said. “The negative media stuff and all that stuff that was going on and running, it wasn't true. Me and Chris had constant communication and we're good.”

Harden acknowledged arguing with Paul on the court but said their disagreements were "just part of basketball," adding that "everybody has that, no matter what level of basketball you're in."

Harden said he is “good” with Chris Paul.
“Obviously as teammates, as competitors, we argued on the court. ... The negative media stuff, it wasn’t true. ... Me and Chris had constant communication.” #Rockets #Thunder #NBA pic.twitter.com/UvkyRpKFbt

— Brian T. Smith (@BTSmithUK) July 20, 2019

There was rumored friction between Harden and Paul after the duo reportedly got into a verbal altercation following the team's season-ending loss at home to the Warriors in the second round of the playoffs. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo! Sports reported their relationship was "unsalvagable." Paul denied the rumors at the end of the season, as Harden did Saturday.