Man convicted of Moses Malone Jr. beating in retaliation for James Harden criticism

A former strip-club bouncer has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for allegedly orchestrating the beating of Moses Malone Jr. after the Hall of Fame basketball player’s son shared a post critical of Houston Rockets star James Harden on Facebook. And, yes, this story is as strange as it sounds.

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Darian Blount, 40, was convicted of the aggravated robbery of Malone on Thursday, almost 18 months after a group of men, some allegedly armed, beat the NBA legend’s son and robbed him of $50,000 in jewelry outside the since-shuttered V Live Houston nightclub, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Malone has maintained since the June 2016 incident that Blount ordered the beating after he wrote “Hollywood Harden” in a Facebook post criticizing the MVP candidate for charging inner-city children $249 to attend his basketball camp. Both Malone and Harden were reportedly regulars at the club.

Malone later claimed in a lawsuit against both the club and the Rockets star, “It has come to light that James Harden paid Blount approximately $20,000 to put a hit on Moses.” Police have not charged or implicated Harden in the crime, and his lawyer accused Malone of suing merely for financial gain.

“I am totally comfortable that the allegations are untrue,” Harden’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, told a local TV news station this past May. “Unfortunately, I am afraid this is just another example of people shopping for a deep pocket when they find that the people actually responsible have no money.”

Blount reportedly told police that he confronted Malone about the Facebook post, but his lawyer contended during the trial that the ex-bouncer was breaking up the fight that broke out around him.

Prosecutors suggested in court that Blount started the fight to show Harden he “had his back,” and at least one witnessed testified that the former bouncer told Malone he disrespected the Rocket star and deserved retaliation before urging the assailants, “Get ’em!” according to the Houston Chronicle.

Blount, who had previously been convicted of marijuana and cocaine possession on multiple occasions, according to the Chronicle, was charged with armed robbery in coordination with the men who carried out the beating. He is not eligible for parole until 2035. Two other men — 27-year-old Kavon Boutte and 26-year-old Oscar Wattell — are awaiting trial for the alleged armed robbery.

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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach