PerformanceEnhancingDrugs & theNBA
Supposedly, incomparisontosportsthatdominateNorthAmericanculture, basketbalisshortof athleteswhoutilizeandexploitanabolicsteroidsand otherperformanceenhancingdrugsthatcommonly dominatethesportsscene. ThusfarinNBA history, onlyahandfulofplayerssuchasDonMaclean, Mat Geiger, SoumailaSamake, LindseyHunter, Darius Miles, RashardLewis, andO. J Mayohavetestedpositivefortheuseofsteroidsandstimulantsalthough manyclaim torefrainfrom druguse.
Despitetheshorthistoryofdrugexploitationin theNBA, manyoficials, lawmakers, and scholars suspectthatthereareathletesintheleaguewhotake advantageofthebenefitsofered byperformance enhancingdrugs. Thissuspicion, givendefensebythe inadequaciesandgapingholesintheleague’ sdrug testingprogram, hasledtoinquirestimeandtime agagain.
Currently, theNBA, likemanyothersports leagues, unsystematicaly subjectsplayersto four random testseachseasonandtworandom testseach of-season. However, unlikeothersports, theNBA’ s testingprogram anditsasociationwithbigunions thatstubbornly demand forplayerconfidentiality createdificultiesincatchingculpritsduetoapprehensivetestingmethods.
CriticsofthetestingmethodsutilizedbytheNBA advisethattheleaguetakeitsresponsibilitytowards anti-drugpoliciesmoreseriously.
13 HoopsMagazine2013