'I wasn’t trying to make a political statement': NBA star James Harden calls for calm amid 'Blue Lives Matter' mask debate

Houston Rockets star James Harden has denied he was making a 'political statement' after he received criticism online for being pictured wearing a face covering which appeared to endorse the pro-police 'Blue Live Matter' movement.

Harden sported a mask featuring an American flag along with a thin blue line, iconography which has come to be known as support for the 'Blue Lives Matter' campaign - a group some cite as being contrary to the wave of 'Black Lives Matter' protests currently prevalent in the United States. 

The images were released by both the Rockets and the NBA Twitter accounts, and were immediately greeted with derision from sections of fans who accused the NBA great of being ignorant to the racial debate which has raged since the death of George Floyd in late May. 

The mask also featured a 'Punisher' logo, a symbol which has been appropriated by some far-right groups. 

However, Harden has since released a statement to add further context to the photographs and says that they were intended as a fashion statement rather than a political one.

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

Several figures within global sport - and particularly within the NBA - have shown vocal support for the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, which added to the surprise of Harden's apparent objection to it. 

But Harden says that his support for the protests is total.

"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," he 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."