It was an otherwise slow NBA news day halfway through October 2020. The league was in Disneyland in Orlando, trying to do everything possible to entertain basketball fans during a global pandemic. Then, something came up: Danuel House Jr. of the Houston Rockets was suspended for violating protocols by allegedly sneaking a girl into his room.
Nearly four years after the incident, House pleaded "not guilty" on the Ur Perspectives podcast. The versatile forward set the record straight about the Bubble fiasco and revealed details fans had never heard before.
"I'm getting my massage, I'm getting my routine because it's the playoffs," House, Jr. said . "After the prep, I got to my room; I unlock the door. This was the time when they let you blow in the Bubble. They took the marijuana to lift off. I rolled two fat Backwoods. I'm out there in the Grand Floridian, Walt Disney… That was where we was in-- grown man, tiny a*s room."
"It was flies and lizards coming in there. So, I was brushing it off… I got my shirt off; I'm oily. Our team security, Brian, he's walking with another white gentleman, and then he was like, 'Hey, we're about to come up there to your room…' I'm like, 'Oh man, they about to see my weed, they been doing this me has been blowing.' I know they lifted, but I probably been going too hard," added the former second-round pick.
"There is no girl up in there"
The gentleman with Brian Savage was a member of the NBA security team. They told the Rockets forward upfront that there were reports about an unauthorized female in the building, and they suspected she was in House's room.
Danuel was admittedly uncomfortable letting NBA security in because of "how many boxes of weed" he stashed. So, he did the next best thing by letting Brian, the team security, inspect the surroundings.
"He checks my room and there was no girl up in there," alleged the Houston-born forward. "They leave my room. They search the building all day. They found the girl running throughout the course of the building. They end up catching her."
House swears he doesn't know the girl's name or if she works for the league or Disneyland. As far as he was concerned, he was just smoking blunts in his room, and they tried to accuse him of something he didn't do. Host Damyean Dotson repeated the allegations to DHJ, and the latter doubled down on his claim.
"Bro, there was no chick up in my room. The way that story is painted out… the NBA did like, 'House, girl, y'all was together.' Nobody was in my room," the Texas A&M alum reiterated.
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DHJ denies he was kicked out of the Bubble
House also debunked the reports about his dismissal in Orlando. The Daily Mail was one of the news outlets that picked up on the story, claiming DHJ was "banished from the bubble" after the incident.
Contrary to circulating reports, House said he was put in a 10-day quarantine protocol and would have been eligible for a Game 7 return against the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately, the series didn't get that far, as the Purple and Gold won Game 5 via a 23-point blowout.
As funny as the details were, the rumors affected the eight-year vet emotionally.
"I cried because I was on the verge… My name was getting screamed so much in the Bubble, just like Tyler Herro that year. I think it's time. I get to handle the ball, they calling the plays. Austin Rivers was passing me the ball and telling me to go," he said.
House played one of the best stretches of his career in the first round against the Oklahoma City Thunder that year, averaging 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists and shooting 37.2% from three. After the Bubble, he bounced around three teams, was traded from Philly to Detroit in February 2024, and is currently out of the NBA.
Related: “There were some pretty hot massage therapists” - NBA analyst reveals how players coped with the lack of sex in the Orlando Bubble
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