PHOENIX — James Harden participated fully in the Nets’ shootaround Tuesday morning, and was will play against the Suns at Phoenix later that night.
He had missed the prior two games, last Wednesday against the Nuggets with hamstring woes and Saturday at Golden State with a right hand strain.
“Yeah, he’s feeling less irritation, so the inflammations gone down. Therefore the irritation is much better and he feels like he’s functioning well, so he’s probable,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “So we’re very hopefully he plays.”
The injury has been nagging Harden for several games, before he exacerbated it Friday at practice. He missed the loss to the Warriors, but practiced Monday and did everything the Nets did at the shootaround Tuesday.
“He just hasn’t been able to play. We haven’t played. But other than that I think he feels like he’s ready to play,” Nash said. “It’s just a matter of seeing how he goes through this checklist with the performance team and is ready to go [Tuesday].”
BSE Global, the parent company of the Nets and Barclays Center, announced the resignation of CEO John Abbamondi, effective at the end of July. He’ll serve through the end of the season, and his successor will be the fourth CEO of Nets owner Joe Tsai’s tenure.
“We are grateful for John’s leadership and many contributions to our organization,” Tsai said. “John has demonstrated tremendous heart and expertise in guiding BSE Global through the challenges of the pandemic.
“During his tenure, the Brooklyn Nets set franchise records for attendance, ticket revenue and sponsorships. We appreciate John’s help in ensuring a smooth transition for his successor, and we are excited about the future of BSE Global.”
Long-serving Brett Yormark resigned as CEO when Tsai took over fully from former owner Mikhail Prokhorov in 2019. Former Turner Sports boss David Levy replaced him, but was only on the job for two months.
Oliver Weisberg — head of Tsai’s Blue Pool Capital — served briefly as interim, as well as Nets alternate governor (Nets general manager Sean Marks is the other alternate governor). Abbamondi was hired in July 2020 when Barclays Center and entire league was shut down due to COVID-19.
The Nets became one of the league’s leaders in ticket and sponsorship revenues, and have enjoyed a record number of national TV games. Now they’ll be looking to replace Abbamondi, a former Navy combat pilot with the call sign Eggplant.
“I want to thank Joe, Clara and Oliver for the opportunity of a lifetime,” Abbamondi said. “I am humbled to have had the privilege of leading BSE Global during such a challenging period, and to have been part of the organization’s strong business performance over the course of the last two seasons.
“BSE Global is on a solid foundation and is positioned for continued success. I am grateful for the support of my management team and honored to have worked with such a dedicated group of professionals.”
Suns star DeAndre Ayton (ankle) will play tonight.