Chinese fans shock NBA’s James Harden with lightning-fast purchase of 10,000 bottles of his wine in just 10 seconds

CHINA: Footage of James Harden making an appearance on a Chinese influencer’s live stream brought 10,000 sales of his personal brand of wine in 10 seconds recently went viral on Weibo.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player participated in a well-known influencer-marketer Xiao Yang’s live social media stream.

Yang aimed to demonstrate how rapidly they could sell out Harden’s new product, which was launched in 2022 under the brand “J-Harden Wines.”

Harden wanted to “bring excitement to the industry and turn some heads” with some eye-catching colours and a picture of himself on the prosecco, sauvignon and red wine bottles.

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A post shared by J-Harden Wines (@jhardenwines)

During the live stream, Harden assured viewers the wine was “not expensive” and mentioned that he typically sold a few cases in a day.

However, Yang surprised Harden by revealing that 5,000 orders for two bottles, priced at 436 yuan (US$60) had been placed within just 10 seconds after sales opened.

Harden was incredulous at first but later checked the sales record himself, burst into laughter and said “no way.”

Harden’s recent visit to China, his first in four years, included meetings with fans, participation in events, and interactions with aspiring basketball players.

Instagram: j/harden13

However, he also stirred controversy by criticizing Daryl Morey, the president of the Philadelphia 76ers. Morey had become a sensitive topic among Chinese reporters due to his previous statements.

During a press conference in Beijing, sponsored by Adidas, Harden went viral on Chinese social media for referring to Morey as “a liar” and declaring that he would never play for the team again.

This move was seen as strategic by Andre Iguodala, a four-time NBA champion, who believed Harden leveraged the existing tensions between Morey and China to his advantage.

Harden, who is seeking a trade after opting into the last year of his deal during the offseason, also extended an apology to China.

This came after Morey, who was then the general manager of the Houston Rockets, tweeted his support for the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Morey’s social media post triggered a significant negative response, leading to the suspension of broadcast arrangements for the annual NBA China Games.

This suspension occurred while Harden’s Rockets were already in China for the popular pre-season fixtures. As a result, NBA coverage was completely halted in the country for the entire 2019-20 season.

Andre Iguodala commented on the situation, highlighting that Harden’s historical connection with Daryl Morey and China could potentially mitigate any negative consequences of his statements.