The NBA has been becoming a lot more open over the recent years in terms of allowing the use of recreational drugs like marijuana for their players. Kevin Durant has openly spoken about how important revoking marijuana drug tests were across the league. However, the NBA still does have rules against using more harmful drugs.
Abusing codeine cough syrup is not something the NBA would have been worried about in the 2000s, but the 2010s have made that a drug of choice called ‘Lean’ or more commonly known as ‘Purple Drank’. No NBA player has ever been suspended for codeine abuse, but some may still be dabbling in it recreationally during the off-season.
Players are not tested during the off-season, so Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges seemingly decided to indulge and put up an Instagram story of him drinking lean with a rolled joint in his hand.
https://twitter.com/_Noach20_/status/1534004402838769664
What Bridges does in the off-season is his business. The illegality of consuming codeine cough syrup in this form is something that is a murky area and it is best that Bridges is doing what he wants to do in the early stages of the pre-season. This could become a larger issue, with Bridges up for a contract extension in the off-season.
Whether this affects the money Bridges can command in the off-season is something we will see over time, but many believe that this could cause league executives’ perception of him to alter. Players should be free to express themselves. Marijuana usage is no longer taboo in the league, but a player posting pictures of them drinking lean could set a dangerous precedent.
Bridges has deleted his story, but the picture is flying across social media. Hopefully, this doesn’t negatively harm Bridges and his value ahead of a contract extension where he is bound to get a massive payday.
