Report: 76ers Won't Be Disciplined After Inquiry into James Harden Missing Bucks Game

The NBA is not expected to penalize the Philadelphia 76ers after the league launched an investigation into whether the team violated the Association's new player participation policy after holding James Harden out of a nationally televised matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 26.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report broke the news.

Harden's longstanding trade request was finally granted on Tuesday after the 76ers dealt him to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The NBA instituted the new player participation policy this year in response to teams routinely resting "star players," particularly for nationally televised games. For the purposes of the policy, star players are defined as "someone who has been an All-Star or an All-NBA selection in any of the past three seasons."

Harden, who did not travel with the 76ers to Milwaukee or the ensuing road stop in Toronto on Oct. 29, would fall under the star player category by virtue of making the All-Star team in 2021 and 2022.

Per the policy, teams are supposed to "make star players available for nationally televised games and In-Season Tournament games." The policy also states that teams should make "healthy players resting for a game present and visible to fans."

NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Oct. 26 that the league was looking into the matter.

Harden did appear on the bench for the 76ers' 126-98 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

Harden missed multiple practices due to a personal matter and also never suited up for a preseason game. Officially, the team stated that Harden needed to "ramp up" and get his conditioning squared away before getting to live action.

All of this appears to be water under the bridge now with the NBA choosing against penalizing the 76ers and Harden now a member of the Clippers. Ultimately, both Harden and the 76ers have moved on after a long saga, and this chapter appears closed.