James Harden wears pro-police face mask in pictures promoted by NBA, Houston Rockets

Photographs promoted on Thursday by the Houston Rockets and the NBA show James Harden sporting a pro-police face covering, according to the Daily Wire.

The covering had an American flag and a skull on it but also showed a “Thin Blue Line” which stands for the separation of order from chaos as a result of law enforcement.

The photograph of Harden was posted on Twitter with the caption, “Mask Up.”

“The black space above the blue line represents society, order, and peace, while the black below, crime, anarchy, and chaos,” says Thin Blue Line USA. “The Thin Blue Line running between them, ‘law enforcement,’ separates the two, keeping crime separated from society.”

Another image was posted of the star player with the caption, “The Masked Beard!”

The images appear to show the “Thin Blue Line” over the skull on the Salt Armour Co. face covering.

The image of the skull on the face covering is possibly a rip off of Marvel’s “The Punisher.” The creator of the character, Gerry Conway, has told news outlets that he wishes to reclaim the iconic symbol and is not happy that it is often used by law enforcement and in the military.

“Neither the Rockets nor the NBA, which also shared an image of Harden’s mask to their Twitter account’s more than 30 million followers, responded late on Thursday to questions about where Harden got the mask or whether it was meant as a political statement,” reported the Washington Post.

Harden commented on the pictures on Friday noting that he did not wear the face covering to make a political statement.

Complaints about “The Punisher” decals on police vehicles were reported by Solvay, New York residents and Chief Allen Wood replied in a statement.

“The Punisher symbol on the patrol vehicles of the Solvay Police Department, while similar to the symbol featured in Marvel comics, is our way of showing our citizens that we will stand between good and evil,” he said.

Last October, Daryl Morey, the Rocket’s general manager, supported Hong Kong in a tweet which was met with backlash from the Communist Party of China.

In the tweet was a graphic which displayed the political statement: “Fight For Freedom Stand With Hong Kong”

An apology was issued by Morey for the incident:

“I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event.”

“I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives. I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention. My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA.”

After the tweet, Mike Bass, the NBA chief communications officer also released a statement.

“We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable,” he said.

“While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them. We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.”