James Harden and newly acquired Rockets guard Russell Westbrook will take the field together on Sunday, Aug. 25 as part of a celebrity softball game at the University of Houston’s Schroeder Park.
The game, which is free to attend, is part of Harden’s annual JH-Town Weekend each August in Houston. All proceeds go to Harden’s 3TheHardenWay charity organization.
Other celebrities currently scheduled to participate in the softball game include rappers Meek Mill and Travis Scott.
Scott homered off Harden in last year’s game, though Harden later hit an inside-the-pick homer off former Rockets forward Josh Smith.
Several other NBA players from the Rockets and other teams also took part last year, with Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker, Gerald Green, Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, and Tyreke Evans all playing. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
Other events scheduled for the weekend include a comedy show and multiple charity concerts. Information on tickets, which are required for non-softball events, is available at the JH-Town Weekend site.
Harden, the NBA’s 2018 Most Valuable Player (MVP), tallied 36.1 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game last season.
Meanwhile, Westbrook — the 2017 MVP — averaged 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists in 36 minutes per game last season as Oklahoma City’s starting point guard. He’s averaged a triple-double in each of the past three seasons, which no NBA player had previously done in a single season since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62.
The two men have long been close friends while supporting each other’s charity efforts. But after Westbrook’s July trade to Houston, they will be NBA teammates in the upcoming 2019-20 NBA season with the Rockets for the first time since their playing days together with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2009 through 2012.