Why Nets’ James Harden was detained, rapper Lil Baby arrested in Paris

Nets guard James Harden was briefly detained and frisked by police in Paris on Thursday while apparently trying to speak up on behalf of rapper Lil Baby. This came after police searched Lil Baby’s car, which smelled like cannabis, a banned substance in France.

The incident at about 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET) was caught on camera. Harden said during the short video, “You know, it’s OK, I don’t understand.” ESPN reported that Harden was standing on the street when the car was stopped. 

Harden was “not arrested nor placed in custody,” the prosecutor’s office in Paris said (per CBS News), but Lil Baby, (real name Dominique Jones) was arrested along with an unidentified man and charged with transporting drugs.

ESPN reported that police discovered 20 grams of cannabis in the car.

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Lil Baby and Harden are friendly and share a mutual bond over music.

“He got a real ear for music,” Lil Baby said of Harden to Billboard. “That’s how me and him linked on another level. He really into music.”

The Nets star and the Atlanta rapper were spotted together earlier Thursday. They also hung out with Kanye West on Wednesday night.

The NBA and the Nets have not commented on the incident.

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