When the current collective bargaining agreement was struck between the NBA and the NBA Player’s Association in 2011, one provision required that an HGH blood testing program be implemented at some point during the course of the contract. Today, the NBA announced that both sides have agreed on the parameters of that program, and will be implemented at the start of next season.
…beginning with the start of 2015 NBA training camps, all NBA players will be subject to three random, unannounced HGH tests annually (two in-season, one off-season), and players will also be subject to reasonable cause testing for HGH.
If a player tests positive for HGH, he will be suspended 20 games for his first violation and 45 games for his second violation, and he will be dismissed and disqualified from the NBA for his third violation.
The NBA rarely pops players for performance enhancing drugs, and the recreational drug testing program is widely viewed as a complete joke, so it remains to be seen how effective this testing schedule will be.
[NBA, photo: Harry How/Getty Images]
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