Misdemeanor gun charge against James Harden dismissed by Texas judge

A misdemeanor gun charge against All-Star Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden in Texas has been dismissed after he completed an alternative resolution program allowing him to avoid a criminal record, court records show. Harris County Criminal Court Judge Alex Salgado in Houston dismissed the criminal charge Thursday at the request of the Harris County district attorney’s office following Harden’s completion of an alternative resolution program. Such programs allow defendants to avoid a criminal conviction by doing community service. Court documents don’t detail the terms of Harden’s agreement. Harden was arrested June 13 in Houston after police found that he had a handgun in his vehicle. Texas law makes it a misdemeanor to have a gun “in plain view” in a vehicle without a license, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000. Neither the district attorney’s office nor Harden’s attorney in Houston immediately responded to email and phone messages Friday seeking comment. The Cavaliers also did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Harden, 36, finished his 17th NBA season in May when the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks swept the Cavs in four games in the Eastern Conference finals. He averaged 23.6 points per game during the regular season, playing in 70 of 82 games. He has said he’d like to remain with the Cavaliers, but he declined to exercise a $42.3 million option to return next season in favor of a longer contract. A deal has not been finalized. Harden is an 11-time All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA selection. He earned MVP honors in the 2017-18 season while playing for the Houston Rockets, averaging 30.4 points per game. Harden led the Rockets to the Western Conference finals where they lost to the Golden State Warriors.