Is There A Steroid Problem In The NBA?

This week Rashard Lewis, the star forward of the Orlando Magic, was busted for testing positive for an elevated testosterone level, per the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday afternoon. What this has done is raise a white flag – do we have a steroid problem in the NBA?

Lewis issued an apology, and in that statement, said that he took an over the counter supplement that he did not realize was banned from the NBA. I’m not sure if I buy that or not, but it never ceases to amaze me how naïve these highly paid million dollar athletes can be. How can you not know what exactly you are putting into your body? Lewis went on to say that the over-the-counter supplement was taking contained DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone), a multifunctional steroid that is banned by the NBA. Lewis becomes the 6th player to test positive for PED’s since testing was implemented in 1999. He will miss the Magic’s first 10 games of the 2009-10 season.

But perhaps we need to look at the bigger picture here. Steroids have long been associated with Major League Baseball (and the NFL to a lesser extent) but their use has never been really been thought of in the NBA. In 2005, Stern had this to say on potential steroid use in the NBA:

"Watching what's swirling around [in other sports], it just seems to be prudent to say, 'Let's just get that issue out of any possibility,'" Stern said. "It's not a problem at the present time that we think we have. But it's a potent issue as it relates to baseball and the media around it, and we think it would be smart of us to deal with it."

Grant Hill added, “ I can’t even remember hearing anybody talk about it,” he said. “You don’t want to be naïve, but we have our own issues and steroids isn’t one of them”.

Those quotes are more than 4 years old. Certainly if the amount of positive tests is an indicator (only 6 since 1999) than steroids isn’t a rampant problem in the National Basketball Association. But if a skinny guy like Rashard Lewis is taking steroids, who isn’t? Who is to say that the game’s best players (Kobe, LeBron, Wade) didn’t also go down the route to gain an edge? LeBron (below) is a prime example. Just compare how he has grown in size and the muscle mass he has added on from his rookie year to now.

LeBron as a Rookie:




LeBron in 2009:







Maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t look like he got there just by natural hard work and weight lifting.

People may point to the fact that the NBA does test for steroids and so few positive tests have turned up, so why should we be concerned? But there’s one other fact you should be aware of: The NBA only tests players from Oct. 1 to June 30th. That leaves a couple months (during the offseason) for players to pump steroids and other PED’s into their system and still show up clean because most steroid cycles out of the body within a few weeks. And, alas, by the time the season rolls around, they’re clean.

Another thing that is worth mentioning is the marijuana issue in the NBA. Yes, it’s well documented that marijuana is used by a lot of NBA players, though we don’t have an exact figure in front of us. But we do know that it’s part of the culture of the NBA, even Josh Howard admitted so last summer. How often does an NBA player get suspended for marijuana use? Not often. And if those tests prove to be weak, who says the steroid testing is any tougher in the NBA? There’s also the distinct possibility of HGH (Human Growth Hormone) use in the league. Why wouldn’t there be? HGH is banned by all 4 major American pro sports leagues, yet one of them have a test for it yet.

NBA players have gotten a lot bigger and a lot stronger over the past decade. And in an era where baseball players, track stars, cyclists and football players use steroids, can you honestly say with a straight face that the NBA has only had 6 players to have used steroids in the last 10 years? I know that I don’t buy that.