NBA Drug Suspensions: From Bobby Portis to a History the League Still Reckons With
The NBA’s drug policy has evolved dramatically over the decades, shaped by scandal, tragedy, reform, and redemption. From accidental medication mix-ups in the modern era to cocaine-fueled crises that nearly derailed the league in the 1980s, substance-related suspensions have left lasting marks on players, franchises, and the NBA’s public image. The recent suspension of Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis is the latest reminder that even today, the line between treatment, performance, and punishment remains thin.
Bobby Portis and a Costly Mistake
On February 20, 2025, the NBA announced that Bobby Portis had been suspended for 25 games without pay after testing positive for tramadol, a painkiller listed under the league’s banned substances. The penalty sidelined one of Milwaukee’s most important rotation players for nearly a third of the season and cost him an estimated $1–2 million in salary.
Portis, a key contributor to the Bucks’ 2021 championship run and a fan favorite for his intensity and toughness, was reportedly dealing with a lingering elbow injury at the time. According to his agent, Mark Bartelstein, the violation stemmed from an accidental mix-up. Portis believed he had taken Toradol, a league-approved anti-inflammatory commonly used by players, but instead ingested tramadol, an opioid prohibited under the NBA’s drug-of-abuse category due to its addictive potential.
Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers publicly defended Portis, emphasizing that the forward was not a drug user and that the incident was an honest mistake rather than a pattern of misconduct. Still, under the league’s collectively bargained policy, intent is largely irrelevant. The positive test triggered an automatic suspension.
Portis returned in late March after serving the full penalty and later spoke about the experience as a learning moment, calling for clearer education around medications and banned substances. The case reignited debate among players and analysts about whether the league’s punishment structure adequately distinguishes between accidental ingestion and abuse.
Tristan Thompson and Performance-Enhancing Drugs
While Portis’s case revolved around pain management, Tristan Thompson’s suspension raised more serious questions about competitive integrity. In January 2024, the veteran center was suspended for 25 games without pay after testing positive for two performance-enhancing substances: ibutamoren (MK-677), a growth hormone secretagogue, and LGD-4033 (ligandrol), a selective androgen receptor modulator.
Thompson, a former fourth overall pick and key member of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 championship team, claimed the substances may have entered his system through contaminated supplements. However, the nature of the drugs—commonly associated with muscle growth, recovery, and strength—sparked skepticism, particularly given Thompson’s age and declining role at the time.
The suspension cost him roughly $750,000 and sidelined him during a playoff push. Upon returning, Thompson played sparingly before continuing his career in limited roles. In later interviews, he used his experience as a cautionary tale, warning younger players about unverified supplements and stressing the importance of vigilance.
The Cocaine Era: Michael Ray Richardson
To understand the NBA’s current drug policies, one must revisit the league’s darkest chapter. In the early 1980s, cocaine use was widespread, and few stories illustrate the devastation more clearly than that of Michael Ray Richardson.
Drafted fourth overall in 1978, Richardson was a gifted point guard and four-time All-Star whose career spanned the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and New Jersey Nets. Despite elite production, his cocaine addiction spiraled out of control. After multiple violations, Richardson tested positive for cocaine a third time in February 1986, becoming the first player to receive a lifetime ban under Commissioner David Stern’s strict policy.
The ban came during Richardson’s prime and shocked the league. Though reinstated in 1988 after rehabilitation, he relapsed and was permanently banned again in 1991. Richardson later found redemption overseas in Europe, where he rebuilt his career and his life. He frequently reflected that the ban, while devastating, ultimately saved him.
Richardson passed away in November 2025 at age 70, remembered as both a cautionary tale and a symbol of recovery.
Richard Dumas: Talent Lost Too Soon
Richard Dumas’s struggles began long before he reached the NBA. Introduced to crack cocaine at just 15 years old, Dumas carried addiction into college and eventually the pros. Drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1991, he became a key contributor during their 1993 Finals run, averaging nearly 16 points in the playoffs.
But success masked deeper issues. Dumas failed multiple drug tests, including one shortly after the Finals, leading to an indefinite suspension in 1993. Though briefly reinstated, he was permanently banned in 1995 for alcohol-related violations, ending his NBA career at just 27.
In later interviews, Dumas spoke candidly about how addiction robbed him of financial security and long-term success. Through counseling and family support, he eventually achieved sobriety, using his story to warn others about early substance exposure.
John Drew and Speaking Out
John Drew was one of the first active NBA players to publicly confront addiction. A two-time All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks, Drew averaged over 20 points per game at his peak. In 1983, he broke ground by openly admitting his cocaine addiction in a New York Times interview, shedding light on a problem many preferred to ignore.
Despite multiple rehab attempts, Drew relapsed repeatedly. In January 1986, he received a lifetime ban under the league’s revised drug policy, alongside Michael Ray Richardson. Drew later served jail time related to cocaine charges before entering recovery and dedicating his life to counseling at-risk youth.
He died in 2022 at age 67, remembered for both his scoring brilliance and his courage in addressing addiction publicly.
Roy Tarpley: A Tragic Cycle
Roy Tarpley’s career is one of the most tragic in NBA history. The seventh overall pick in 1986 and the league’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1988, Tarpley appeared destined for stardom. Instead, alcohol and cocaine addiction consumed him.
After multiple suspensions and reinstatements, Tarpley was permanently banned in 1995 for violating aftercare conditions related to alcohol use. Legal battles with the league followed but failed to revive his career. Tarpley died in 2015 from liver failure at age 50, his story emblematic of lost potential and insufficient support systems.
Chris Washburn and Rock Bottom
Chris Washburn entered the NBA as a top-three pick in 1986 but lasted only 72 games. His cocaine addiction, which began in high school and intensified in college, led to repeated failed drug tests. In 1989, he became one of several players banned for life.
Washburn’s post-NBA years were marked by homelessness and arrests before he found sobriety through rehabilitation and faith-based programs. In later years, he credited the ban with forcing him to confront his addiction and ultimately saving his life.
Chris Andersen: Redemption in the Modern Era
Unlike many from earlier generations, Chris Andersen’s story includes redemption. Known as “Birdman,” Andersen was dismissed from the league in 2006 for violating the anti-drug program. After a two-year absence marked by strict testing and counseling, he was reinstated in 2008.
Andersen went on to enjoy a long second act, including a championship with the Miami Heat in 2013. His comeback reflected the NBA’s evolving emphasis on rehabilitation rather than permanent exclusion.
O.J. Mayo and Tyreke Evans: Careers Derailed
O.J. Mayo and Tyreke Evans represent the modern consequences of drugs of abuse. Mayo, a former third overall pick, was dismissed from the league in 2016 after violating the drug policy, later admitting addiction to prescription painkillers. Despite attempts at reinstatement, he never returned to the NBA.
Evans, the 2010 Rookie of the Year, was banned for two years in 2019 just as he entered free agency. Though reinstated in 2022, he never regained a stable NBA role and has since focused on overseas play and advocacy work.
A Policy Still Evolving
From lifetime bans to structured rehabilitation programs, the NBA’s approach to drugs reflects lessons learned through painful history. Bobby Portis’s suspension may differ vastly from the cocaine-fueled scandals of the past, but it underscores a constant reality: the league’s drug policy remains unforgiving, even when intent is unclear.
As the NBA continues balancing fairness, player health, and competitive integrity, these stories serve as reminders that behind every suspension is a human cost—and, sometimes, a chance for growth.
