Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson has been suspended without pay by the NBA for 25 games because of positive drug tests, the league said Tuesday.
Thompson tested positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033, according to the NBA. His suspension begins on Wednesday when the Cavaliers take on the Milwaukee Bucks.
Thompson, a 12-year veteran, signed with the Cavaliers this offseason for a one-year deal worth $3.2 million. The Cavaliers drafted Thompson with the fourth pick overall in the 2011 draft, and he spent nine seasons in Cleveland before he signed a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics in 2020. During his first stint with the Cavaliers, he helped them win the 2015-16 NBA championship over the Golden State Warriors.
Thompson has appeared in 36 games for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 12.4 minutes.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Newsweek reached out to the Cavaliers by email, requesting comment about Thompson’s suspension.
The substances Thompson tested positive for are both related to bodybuilding. SARM LGD-4033 is known to help build lean muscle mass. Ibuatmoren helps increase lean body mass as well, and a small study showed that it can improve sleep quality in men.
The NBA says it tests players randomly for drugs. Those tests no longer include marijuana—a policy that changed permanently in 2021. Instead, the league focuses its program on performance-enhancing drugs and “drugs of abuse.”
Players don’t always believe that the league’s drug tests are random, and several have spoken out at times after receiving drug tests following big games. Donovan Mitchell (Thompson’s teammate) received a drug test after scoring 71 points in January, and Damian Lillard received a test after scoring the same total in March. In 2021, Michael Carter-Williams received a drug test shortly after posting a photo of himself on social media where he looked significantly more muscular than the season before.
Section 6 of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement says a player “shall be required to undergo testing for Prohibited Substances at any time, without prior notice to the player, no more than four (4) times each Season and no more than two (2) times during each Off-Season.”
The league and the players union also have an agreement that “the Program subjects each player to no more than nine random, unannounced drug tests during each season and off-season—up to six urine tests and three blood tests.”
The Cavaliers defeated the Orlando Magic 126-97 on Monday evening. Thompson played 20 minutes and went 2-for-6 from the floor, scoring 4 points to go with five rebounds, a steal, a block and an assist.
The Cavaliers are 26-15, fourth overall in the Eastern Conference, and they have won eight of their last 10 games.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.