Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr. was suspended 25 games without pay by the NBA on Thursday for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
The NBA said Portis tested positive for the drug Tramadol, a medication used to treat severe pain among adults.
“I was dealing with an elbow injury and using an NBA-approved medication for pain and inflammation,” Portis said. “During that time, I made an honest mistake and took a pain-reducing anti-inflammatory pill that is not approved. I feel horrible and recognize that I’m responsible for what I put in my body.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to apologize to the Bucks organization, my teammates, coaches, family, and fans. I give everything I have on the court and will terribly miss playing games for the Bucks during this time. I will continue to work hard and be ready for our long playoff run. Thank you for your support. I appreciate it more than you know.”
Portis’ agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN that his client confused Tramadol with an approved pain medication called Toradol.
“This was, again, an honest mistake that was made because of the similarity in the names of the drugs and the fact they both serve a very similar purpose,” Bartelstein said.
“… Bobby Portis is absolutely not a drug abuser. Bobby works tirelessly on increasing his performance in all natural, legal, healthy ways, but he made a mistake and took a pill that unknowingly he should not have.”
Portis’ ban begins with the Bucks’ game against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
“This is a very difficult set of circumstances for Bobby and our team,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said. “He and the Bucks organization respect the NBA/NBAPA Anti-Drug Program and will accept what’s been handed down. But we 100 percent support Bobby. Together we will take this opportunity to grow and will have a better and stronger Bobby and Milwaukee Bucks team. He’s an integral part of who we are, a huge member of the Milwaukee community, and we look forward to his return.”
Portis, 30, is averaging 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 46 games (seven starts) this season.
An NBA champion with Milwaukee in 2021, Portis has averaged 11.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in 651 career games (153 starts) with the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks and Bucks.
Entering play Thursday, the Bucks are 29-24 and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. With 29 games left on the schedule, the Bucks could have Portis for just four games before the regular season ends April 13.
According to Spotrac, the suspension will cost Portis nearly $2.9 million in pay.
–Field Level Media
