Former teammate Covington: Harden often went to nightclubs for lavish drinking parties until 4 or 5 a.m., yet still arrived punctually for training at 7 a.m.

On April 18 Beijing time, former Rockets player Robert Covington talked about his ex-teammate James Harden's intense nightlife and training in the latest podcast episode.

Harden's years with the Rockets are considered a legendary, highly marketable era in the league. Following his role as a sixth man with the Thunder, "The Beard" underwent a complete metamorphosis, launching a historic scoring performance and becoming an indefensible offensive weapon.

Harden played for Houston for nearly nine years, leading the team to the playoffs every season, and secured the league's scoring title consecutively from 2018 to 2020. He was a walking scoring machine, routinely posting 30+ points per game, even setting a terrifying record of 32 consecutive games with 30+ points.

At the same time, Harden was also exceptionally adept at celebrating victories. He embraced a philosophy of playing hard and partying hard, a fact many former teammates have attested to.

Covington recently revealed details of Harden's famous nocturnal habits and nightlife on the program. Covington, who entered the league as an undrafted player, joined the Rockets in the 2013–14 season to start his career; after being cut in his rookie year, he returned to Houston in 2020. These two stints with the Rockets allowed him to witness Harden's daily life on and off the court firsthand.

Covington disclosed on the podcast: "At that time Harden was at his peak, absolutely an MVP-caliber player. Harden's discipline and training attitude were outrageous; many people simply don't realize he was actually a relentless training fanatic. In my rookie year, I personally saw Harden go out partying all night, finishing around 4 or 5 a.m., yet he would wake up punctually at 7 a.m. for training."

Program co-host AJ Richardson also shared a personal anecdote: he witnessed Harden partying all night until dawn, then effortlessly scoring 60 points the next day.

Covington was already accustomed to such scenes. He stated frankly that partying with Harden was always an extreme indulgence: "I mean serious heavy drinking, downing 10, 12, 13, even 15 shots of liquor in one go, bottle after bottle. After the revelry, he'd go home, take a short nap to catch some sleep, then head straight to the gym for training."

Harden's frequent visits to strip clubs were also a perennial topic of discussion in the league and media. A local Houston nightclub even retired a custom jersey for him due to his longstanding high spending.

Nowadays, Harden has toned down his off-court lifestyle considerably, focusing more energy on the basketball court. This season, he will represent the Cavaliers in the playoffs. Can he capture his first career championship? Let's wait and see.