Andre Iguodala commends James Harden for promoting player empowerment

Philadelphia 76ers' standout guard, James Harden, has found himself at the center of a controversy following the emergence of a video on Monday in which he openly criticized Sixers President Daryl Morey.

Speaking at an Adidas media event in China, Harden didn't hold back, labeling Morey a liar for his handling of negotiations surrounding Harden's max contract extension.

While some have labeled Harden a diva and disgruntled, 19-year NBA veteran Andre Iguodala has come forward to support Harden's actions. Iguodala believes that Harden's move was justified, citing the lack of fallback options that players have compared to front-office personnel.

“When you go into a contract negotiation, know what your value is and how you can leverage yourself. Know what opportunities you have on the other side, like your safety net. What is James’ safety net?” Iguodala said during a recent appearance on Gil’s Arena.

“Daryl Morey has a history with China, where he can say something, and the backlash from what he says, there may not be any because there’s a history there with Morey and China. So, it was a great move out of leverage by James, one, because it’s gonna be hard to discipline James, because what did he do wrong? Right? And James will sell some shoes. That’s ultimately why he’s over there.”

Iguodala then spoke about how fans and media members are too quick to blame players during disputes with their teams’ front offices. He added that Harden calling out Morey marked a prime opportunity for him to support the player empowerment movement:

“We’re so quick to say ‘disgruntled player,’” Iguodala said.

“Kyrie (Irving), he had James’ back, because the headline from (Adrian Wojnarowski) was ‘disgruntled player’ James Harden. Like, why is he disgruntled? Why isn’t the front office ever disgruntled?"

“They always put players in a certain light and what you’re hearing a lot now is, players have too much power because we’re getting smarter and smarter. Because we know how to move and we know how to say certain things, and we know how to use our leverage, because when we make mistakes, it’s used against us, correct? When they make mistakes, we’ve never put ourselves in the position to use their mistakes against them as well, and I just think he just had a perfect opportunity.”

James Harden says he will never play for a Daryl Morey-led team again

Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey and Sixers star guard James Harden

As for James Harden’s full comments on Daryl Morey, the Sixers star said that he will never play for a Morey-led team ever again:

“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of,” Harden said.

“Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of.”

Harden is now expected to not report to training camp with the Sixers. The star guard already opted into his $35.6 million player option in June. This means that he is in the final year of his contract and could leave Philly next summer. So Morey and the Sixers are now in a tough spot entering next season.

Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.8 3-pointers per game on 44.1% shooting over 58 games last season.