Basketball doesn’t have a steroid problems, right? Rashard Lewis getting nailed for a banned substance this summer was a fluke, right?
Former NBA player Juan Dixon has been banned from play in Europe after testing positive for steroids, according to his Spanish team Unicaja. The positive test for nandrolone came in November in Greece, before he joined the squad, according to the team.
Dixon played seven seasons in the NBA after being a star at Maryland, not far where he went to high school in Baltimore. He played nearby for the Wizards as well as stops in a number of other teams. In the 05-06 season in Portland, he started 46 games and averaged a career high 12.3 points per game. Last season he played in 50 games back in Washington, but this year he had to go overseas to get work.
PEDs may not be the problem in basketball it is in other sports -- the culture is different, pure speed is prized over bulk. There is testing in place. But do not pretend the issue does not exist, because like roaches that scatter when the lights come on, for every one you see (or catch) there are others you do not. Maybe more than you want to know.