#James Harden denies mask was Blue Lives Matter statement

When James Harden wore a mask with an American flag with a thin blue line — often associated with the pro-police Blue Lives Matter movement — he was seemingly making a political statement. But the Rockets star says he wore it solely out of style.

“Honestly I wasn’t trying to make a political statement,” Harden told reporters Friday. “Honestly I wore it just because it covered my whole face and my beard.”

The Rockets posted a picture of Harden donning the mask and captioned it “Mask up” upon his delayed arrival to the NBA’s bubble in Orlando. The NBA shared it on its official Twitter page as well.

The mask also depicted a Punisher skull, which has often been associated with far-right extremist groups. Adapted from the Marvel Comics character, Punisher’s creator has asked police to stop using the logo, saying that the character “represents a failure of the justice system.”

Critics of the pro-police symbol have argued that it represented opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement. Harden, however, has maintained his commitment to the latter.

“It’s pretty simple. As I talked about (Thursday), me finding a way to, whether it’s with my jersey name or another way to show my support for Black Lives Matter,” Harden said. “So that’s pretty simple. Honestly, in every profession, there’s people that do their job at a high level, and then there’s b.s. people. In every profession. That was it. I wasn’t here to make a political statement.”