The Houston Rockets are expected to compete for an NBA Championship in the 2015-16 season, but in order to do that, they are going to need their stars, James Harden and Dwight Howard, to be healthy and available. Howard is currently healthy, but he reportedly got himself into a bit of a precarious situation at George Bush Airport in Houston at the end of August. Howard reportedly was found with a loaded gun in his bag while putting his carry-on through the scanner, according to TMZ Sports.
Howard reportedly said that he forgot the gun was in his bag. The gun was a Glock 26 9mm and reportedly had one round in the chamber. Howard was not arrested for carrying the gun through the airport and will reportedly not be prosecuted either, although the District Attorney is aware of the situation, thanks in part to Texas having looser gun laws than the rest of the country.
Cops were called to the scene when the gun was discovered, but instead of arresting the 6-foot-10 center, they allowed Howard to give the gun to one of his associates, who then took it out of the airport. After security took the weapon away from Howard, he was allowed to get right back in the security line and didn't even miss his flight. It is Texas, but the fact that Howard was able to proceed as if nothing happened after bringing a loaded gun into an airport is certainly strange.
The incident happened a week ago, and it is just circulating in the news, so it is no big deal now, but this could have been a big problem for the Rockets and Howard. Howard is a huge piece to the Rockets, as they look to build on last year's success when they lost in the Western Conference Finals.
