After Team USA’s men’s basketball team won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, celebrations were expected to kick off immediately.

However, the Olympic committee halted the festivities, requiring some players to undergo random drug testing first.

The tests, which targeted key players Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry, raised questions about whether they were truly random, given the duo’s stellar performances throughout the tournament.

 

This also led to increased discussion about the NBA’s own drug testing policies.

Are post-game drug tests a common practice in the NBA?

During a panel discussion at Fanatics Fest, Anthony Edwards and Kevin Durant shared their experiences of being drug tested after their gold medal victory. Edwards revealed that he, along with Durant and Curry, had to delay their post-game celebrations to complete the tests.

“It’s only right. They gave Steph one,” Edwards remarked.

This isn’t a new practice in the NBA. Players are often subject to drug tests following significant performances. For example, Damian Lillard experienced his first blood-draw drug test in February 2023 after an extraordinary game against the Houston Rockets, where he scored a career-high 71 points.

Despite setting a Trail Blazers record and becoming the eighth player in NBA history to score 70 points in a single game, Lillard’s post-game joy was short-lived due to the unexpected test.

“I know I got a lot of tattoos, but when you’re doing a blood-draw, it’s different than tattoos,” he joked.

Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, and Kevin Durant faced similar scrutiny after their Olympic performances, especially Curry, who turned things around dramatically in the final games against Serbia and France. His sudden scoring surge, which included 36 and 24 points in those games, likely triggered the testing protocol.

 

NBA stars now expect to be tested after good performances

NBA players have come to expect drug tests after standout performances. Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell took it in stride when he was tested following his 71-point game against the Chicago Bulls in January 2023. This vigilant approach by the league is driven by past incidents where players tested positive after strong performances.

For instance, during the 2019-20 season, DeAndre Ayton received a 25-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance following an 18-point, 11-rebound performance.

Similarly, Atlanta Hawks star John Collins was suspended for 25 games the same season for testing positive for GHRP-2. Other players like Joakim Noah and Rashard Lewis also faced suspensions for violating the league’s drug policies.