Harden: Mask graphic linked to Blue Lives Matter wasn't political statement

James Harden did not intend to make any sort of statement by wearing a face covering with a graphic linked to the Blue Lives Matter movement.

Rather, the Houston Rockets star clarified he simply wore the mask because it was large enough to cover his signature beard.

"Honestly, I wasn't trying to make a political statement," the 30-year-old said Friday, according to FOX 26's Mark Berman. "I honestly wore it just because it covered my whole face and my beard."

Harden's face covering featured a black and white American flag with a vertical blue line and a skull. The symbols have strong connotations within the Blue Lives Matter countermovement, which has been criticized as a means of undermining Black Lives Matter, particularly as the latter initiative relates to police brutality.

The "Thin Blue Line" motif represents the belief that law enforcement officers are the lone barrier between an orderly society and chaos, according to USA TODAY's Sean Rossman, while the skull has been linked to the Punisher, a vigilante antihero in the Marvel Comics universe.

Harden had effusive praise for the city of Houston's civic demonstrations in support of social justice in the hours prior to the Rockets sharing the photo of his mask.

"The way the city rallied, it was amazing," Harden said in a video conference Thursday. "I think the world saw it - how so many people could come together so close. Obviously, it was for a tragic reason, but the marching and everything that we're standing for is very powerful."