Former NBA player Sebastian Telfair was asked about drug use in the NBA during a recent interview with VladTV. He noted that steroid use in the NBA wasn’t prevalent during his tenure in the league, and claimed that most players would fail drug tests in the NBA due to their use of marijuana.
“Steroids? No… When I got my first chance in the NBA, it was one drug test. Then my second year, the CBA came in, and then it became four. So then my whole career I went through, it was four drug tests a year… Random, which is stupid. NBA owes Michael Beasley some money, they ruined his career with that sh*t.”
“Absolutely. 95% of the NBA. I will say 80% of players failed a drug test before for sure. Bud, marijuana. Steroids? Umm, nah. When I was in the NBA, so I was in the room. It’s another curtain that you got to get behind. They ain’t let me behind that other curtain. I don’t know.”
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Telfair played in the NBA from 2004 to 2014. If what he said is true, the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBA and the NBPA would have enforced four random drug tests during the season for players, which would have gotten them caught for using any illegal substances.
If what Telfair says is true, it isn’t hard to believe that many NBA players use marijuana as a recreational substance. However, because the legality of the drug has been very subjective for years, the NBA has listed it as an illegal substance in their CBA.
It was only last year, when the NBA signed a new CBA with the NBPA that marijuana was no longer classified as an illegal substance for drug testing. So now, players in the NBA can no longer be penalized for using marijuana recreationally.
Many NBA Players Have Been Seen Smoking Weed
Top NBA players like Kevin Durant have spoken openly and candidly about their marijuana use in the past.
In an interview in 2022, Durant even explained why he uses marijuana, citing the medicinal and mental benefits that the substance has brought to his life. Durant is also a known investor in several cannabis-related products and companies.
Durant and other players have been spotted smoking weed on numerous occasions. Last year, KD was seen lighting up at a Drake concert. In a similar vein, Kawhi Leonard was seen a few weeks ago sparking up a blunt at Kendrick Lamar’s show in Los Angeles.
The move to allow players to use marijuana is a good one, as players now have a little more freedom off the court in what they choose to do. And given both the medicinal benefits of marijuana, along with its lack of addictive quality, make it a better alternative for players to use compared to alcohol and other, more potent drugs.
But it should be remembered that marijuana is a substance, much like many others, that must be consumed in moderation. Players shouldn’t be reckless enough to come to play under the influence, as it can be very damaging to the league. And NBA players will surely know the consequences of doing so and hopefully be careful.
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