When you think of steroids and performance enhancing in sports, you quickly think of the problems baseball, boxing and football have in their respective major sports leagues.
The World Anti-Doping Agency came out with a statement on Thursday, saying that the NBA has “gaps” in its anti-doping program, according to ESPN.com’s Henry Abbott.
Uh oh.
Sports fans generally don’t think of basketball players as athletes who are tempted to use steroids or PEDs. After all, hoopers don’t endure the same physical abuse as boxers and running backs do, or rely on power as much as batters need to.
If fans look at how the NBA seasons are set up, they are brutal 82-game marathons that also have a stretched postseason as well. Players still need to be in or around their best shape several times a week, and the constant travelling takes a toll in their bodies.
If NBA players want to keep their vertical leaps high and still have the strength to box out rebounders, PEDs and doping seem like realistic lifesavers in these cases.
If WADA’s claims are true, this could open up a can of worms for the NBA and change how basketball players may be portrayed in general.
There’s a storm coming, David Stern.
