NBA suspends Brampton’s Tristan Thompson 25 games on doping violation

Cleveland Cavaliers centre and Brampton’s Tristan Thompson was suspended 25 games by the NBA for violating its anti-drug program on Tuesday.

The league said that Thompson tested positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033. His suspension will begin with Wednesday’s game between Cleveland and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The news comes just weeks after the Brampton basketballer was named as a global ambassador by the Special Olympics International.

Ibutamoren is a growth hormone stimulator. SARM LGD-4033 is still in preliminary clinical trials but early studies have shown that the drug improves lean body mass and muscle strength.

Thompson was drafted fourth overall by the Cavaliers in 2011, and won a championship with Cleveland in 2016.

He attended St. Marguerite d’Youville Secondary School before moving to the U.S. for his sophomore year and has gone on to play for the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers between 2020 and 2023 before returning to the Cavaliers this season.

The suspension isn’t Thompson’s first run-in with bad press, making tabloid headlines after cheating on his partner and reality TV star Khloé Kardashian while she was pregnant with the couple’s first child.

The two have had an off-again-on-again relationship for years and had a second child through a surrogate in 2022.

The 32-year-old Thompson is averaging 3.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 12.4 minutes per game this season. He has averaged 8.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, one assist and 0.7 blocks per game over his 11 NBA seasons.

– With files from Insauga.com