For years, I've been wondering when the NBA would have its first real steroid scandal -- but this isn't it. The substance found in Lewis' bloodstream was Dehydroepiandrosterone -- usually known as DHEA. DHEA is a legal over-the-counter dietary supplement, which some people think helps with weight loss, osteoporosis, depression and auto-immune disease. DHEA is an ingredient found in dozens of products at places like GNC.
It is banned by the NBA, but legal in professional baseball.
Lindsey Hunter, then of the Detroit Pistons, received a similar suspension in 2007 after testing positive for phentermine -- another banned substance often found in over-the-counter diet pills.
Steroids in the Association
Unlike professional football, major league baseball and just about every Olympic sport, there hasn't been a major steroid controversy involving an NBA player. Lewis is just the fourth to receive a suspension since the league's testing program began in 1999, and is by far the biggest name; the others -- Matt Geiger, Soumaila Samake and Don McLean -- were second-stringers at best. All three claimed that they, like Lewis and Hunter, had taken over-the-counter supplements containing banned substances, as opposed to hard-core steroids. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean there are no steroid abusers in the NBA -- just that they haven't been caught.At a 2005 hearing on Capitol Hill, lawmakers described the NBA's steroid policy as "a joke," "the weakest" among major professional sports, and "pathetic."
Still, NBA players and administrators seem to think that steroid abuse is an issue for other sports. In 2005, NBA commissioner David Stern's take on steroid abuse was, "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." Other observers have suggested that steroids wouldn't really help NBA players, who tend not to be real workout warriors and who rely more on quickness and agility than straight-up power.
Right. Performance-enhancing drugs only help athletes who want to get bulky. Just ask Marion Jones.
Don't get me wrong... I don't necessarily think the NBA has a steroid problem that even approaches that of the NFL in the eighties or baseball in the nineties. But every time I read about some kid coming out of college at 6'11" and 190 pounds... and hear the likes of Jay Bilas talking about how he'll have to bulk up if he wants to succeed at the next level... I can't help but wonder.
I still think the NBA's steroid scandal is coming.
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