A championship-winning NBA player faces a lengthy suspension after consuming a prohibited pain medication given by his personal assistant.
According to Daily Mail, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis has been suspended for 25 games by the NBA after violating the league's anti-drug policy by taking Tramadol, a recently banned substance he claims was mistaken for an approved medication.
NBA Insider Chris Haynes reports that Portis unknowingly consumed the prohibited substance, which will force him to miss most of the remaining regular season games. The 30-year-old player becomes eligible to return on April 8 for a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Portis' agent, Mark Bartelstein, released a statement explaining that his client believed he was taking Toradol, an NBA-approved pain medication. The mix-up occurred when Portis' assistant, who had a valid prescription for Tramadol, incorrectly identified the drug as Toradol when providing it to the player.
The confusion stemmed from the similarity in the names of both medications, which serve similar pain-management purposes. Portis had been using anti-inflammatory medication to deal with an elbow injury from last fall.
Bartelstein emphasized that Portis maintains a stellar reputation in the league and his communities, describing him as an exemplary professional and teammate.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) added Tramadol to its 2024 list of prohibited substances after research indicated its potential to enhance athletic performance. The NBA subsequently included the drug in its banned substances list last spring.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency had previously highlighted concerns about Tramadol's addictive properties. The drug gained attention for its widespread use in cycling before being officially prohibited.
Bartelstein and Portis expressed support for the league's drug policy while maintaining that the incident resulted from an honest mistake with pure intentions.
The suspension comes as a significant blow to the Bucks, who currently hold the fifth position in the Eastern Conference standings. Portis has been a key contributor this season, averaging 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 25.2 minutes per game.
Before this incident, Portis had never faced suspension for drug-related issues in his NBA career. The veteran forward will miss critical games during the final stretch of the regular season.
The suspension allows Portis to return for only the last four games before the playoffs begin.
Bobby Portis received a 25-game suspension from the NBA after accidentally consuming Tramadol, a banned substance he mistook for the approved pain medication Toradol. The Milwaukee Bucks forward's personal assistant provided him with the wrong medication while treating an elbow injury from last fall. Portis will be eligible to return on April 8 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with only four regular-season games remaining before the playoffs.
