James Harden is breaking his silence over the loss of his friend Nipsey Hussle.
Nipsey’s death was so hard on the Houston Rockets’ guard that he took off practice on Monday to mourn the Slauson rapper. During a postgame interview Wednesday night (April 3) in Los Angeles, Harden explained what the loss of Nipsey Hussle meant for him and the world.
“He was powerful, not just to a certain dynamic or to a certain city, but just to the world,” he said of Hussle after the Rockets beat the Clippers 135-103. “He was a leader. He was so many things and his life got taken away off nonsense, off BS. So, it’s been sad, man. I think, not only myself, but a lot of people around this world were affected by it. It doesn’t seem real.”
In an Instagram post about Nipsey’s death, Harden alluded to a project he and the rapper were working on and promised to “finish what we started.” He wasn’t ready to further explain those details on Wednesday in talking to the press.
Nipsey Hussle was reportedly murdered on Sunday outside of his Marathon Clothing Company in Hyde Park, Los Angeles. Born Ermias Asghedom, he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital after being shot six times. At least two others were reportedly shot in the incident, though their condition is unknown. On Tuesday, police arrested Eric Holder in connection with Hussle’s murder. The LAPD claim the shooter was motivated by a personal dispute with the Grammy-nominated rapper.
