Houston judge drops misdemeanor gun charge against NBA star James Harden

A misdemeanor gun charge against All-Star Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden in Texas has been dismissed after he completed an alternative resolution program allowing him to avoid a criminal record, court records show.

Harris County Criminal Court Judge Alex Salgado in Houston dismissed the criminal charge Thursday at the request of the Harris County district attorney's office following Harden's completion of an alternative resolution program. Such programs allow defendants to avoid a criminal conviction by doing community service. Court documents don't detail the terms of Harden's agreement.

Harden was arrested June 13 in Houston after police found that he had a handgun in his vehicle. Texas law makes it a misdemeanor to have a gun "in plain view" in a vehicle without a license, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.

Neither the district attorney's office nor Harden's attorney in Houston immediately responded to email and phone messages from the Associated Press seeking comment on Friday. The Cavaliers also did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Harden, 36, finished his 17th NBA season in May when the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks swept the Cavs in four games in the Eastern Conference finals. He averaged 23.6 points per game during the regular season, playing in 70 of 82 games.

He has said he'd like to remain with the Cavaliers, but he declined to exercise a $42.3 million option to return next season in favor of a longer contract. A deal has not been finalized.

Harden played for the Houston Rockets from 2012-2020, and court documents list his home address as an apartment building a few blocks from the Toyota Center, the Rockets' home arena.

Harden is an 11-time All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA selection and the 2017-18 NBA MVP.