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    by admin in Basketball Wiki | Comments Off on Basketball Players and Drugs

    In the history of basketball, there were so many players who were blessed with some exceptional talent and ability but they wasted their talent and spoiled the careers through drug related controversies. Here, we have discussed some of those players.

    Quintin Dailey

    Quintin Dailey was a great college basketball players who was expected to be a star in future but he wasted his talent by involving himself in off court issues. During his senior year at the university he was sentenced to three year probation after being accused of the assault. He paid fine to the victim and issued a statement of apology. It was not the end of the problem; he continued to have troubles even in his professional career. He violated the NBA’s drug policy on two occasions and once attempted suicide as well. In 2010, Quintin died at the age of 49 due to a heart disease.

    Eddie Griffin

    Eddie Griffin was an outstanding player at high school and college level. His talent and ability was overshadowed by alcoholism and legal issues. He started his professional career in 2001 with Houston Rockets. In 2003, he was arrested for marijuana possession after his car was pulled over by the police for speeding. He posted $500 bond to get himself out of the jail. He started to miss practices and team flights as a result in December 2003; he was released by the Rockets. In January 2004, Griffin signed with the Nets but missed the entire season as he entered an alcohol rehabilitation center. Then he started to play for Minnesota Timberwolves. In Jan. 2007, he was suspended by the league for violating the anti-drug policy. Months later, he died in a fiery car crash.

    Dirk Minniefield

    Dirk Minniefield, the former Kentucky “Mr. Basketball”, started to use marijuana at age 14. His drug problem continued into college. He admitted to having carried a vial of cocaine with him regularly during his senior year at UK, and frequently took hits of the drug before games. He also admitted that he and his several teammates smoked marijuana in a park, a night before 1983 NCAA Mideast Regional final when Kentucky’s was going to meet Louisville. He also said that he smoked more marijuana after returning to his hotel room. Minniefield’s drug use eventually contributed to the early end of his NBA career. He found his way to a Drug Abuse Center, after treatment, he became a drug counselor, managing drug aftercare programs for the NBA players.

    Len Bias

    Len Bias was an exceptional performer at college level; he was selected by the Boston Celtics on June 17, 1986, but unfortunately, he could not play a single game in NBA and died two days later from cardiac arrhythmia due to the overdose of cocaine. Many analyst and experts considered him to be one of the greatest players not to play at the professional level as he was a perfect blend of the skill and athleticism.  

    Vin Baker

    Vin Baker was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1993 NBA Draft out of the University of Hartford. He spent four seasons with the Bucks, before he was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. In 2002, Baker was released by the SuperSonics and traded to the Boston Celtics. While he was playing for the Boston Celtics, he gained about 300 pounds weight which affected his game tremendously. Baker admitted of taking binge drinks, containing alcohol. His coach also said that he smelled alcohol on him in practice. His skill and agility suffered greatly, the team suspended him and eventually, released him.

    Rasheed Wallace

    Rasheed Wallace spent 15 years in NBA, most notably as a player of Portland Trail Blazers. In 2002, Rasheed Wallace and his teammate Damon Stoudamire were charged and arrested for carrying marijuana that was found in their vehicle. They were riding in Stoudamire’s car, when police stopped them for traffic violation, eventually both were released.

    Chris Porter

    Chris Porter was better known for his dunking and rebounding abilities. He played just one season in NBA as his NBA career was derailed by the drug related charge along with some disciplinary issues. In 2001, he was pled guilty to marijuana charge when police found small bags of cocaine and marijuana in his car. In 2006, Alabama police charged him with driving under the influence and second-degree possession of marijuana. In November 2010, he was convicted to unlawful possession of marijuana and was sentenced to a year in jail which he is expected to begin serving once the basketball season in China finishes. He played overseas but never played in NBA since 2001.

    Keon Clark

    Keon Clark burst on the NBA scene in 1998 when he was drafted by the Orlando Magic but immediately traded to the Denver Nuggets. He spent three stable years with Nuggets after that he had a bit of stop-start career. He confronted with several legal issues since he left the NBA in 2004. He had to stand trials on marijuana possession, driving under revocation and weapons charges. At a hearing, he admitted that he “never played a game sober” during his NBA career, he drank at games during halftime. He also admitted that he had started drinking alcohol since he was in high school. He also sought help of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic.

    Qyntel Woods

    Qyntel Woods was rated as a player with exceptional talent but his off-court issues halted his career and resulted in his early exit from NBA. In 2003, he was charged with high speed driving and marijuana possession. In 2004, he violated the NBA, s drug policy. In response to these events, Trail Blazers suspended him and eventually released him. He started to play overseas but the problems never ended for him. He was caught using marijuana during the Greek finals in 2008 and thus committed a breach of his contract with his team Olympiacos, which led to authority terminating the final year of his deal.

    Joseph Forte

    Joseph Forte was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 2000. One year after, he found a spot in Boston Celtics roster but he struggled to live up to the expectations in his two year NBA stint firstly with Boston Celtics, later on with Settle SuperSonics. Eventually he was waived by the Sonics not only due to his performance but also for his attitude and legal problems. In 2003, while playing with the Sonics, he was arrested on gun and drug charges as a search in his car discovered small containers of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a handgun under the rear seat.

    Shawne Williams

    Shawne Williams, former Indiana Pacers forward, was detained by the police on the charge of marijuana possession in September 2007, while he was driving a car. As the consequence of the incident, the Pacers suspended him for three games. In January 2010, he was arrested on felony drug charges for selling a codeine substance. Williams later pleaded guilty in April to drug possession. He was placed on six months’ probation, ordered to undergo mandatory drug testing, attend a drug offender school and make a $10,000 contribution to the Drug Treatment Court.

     Joakim Noah

    Joakim Noah, the Chicago Bulls center, was caught by the police on May 25, 2008, after an officer spotted him on a sidewalk holding an open container of amber-colored alcohol. During a search at the station, officers also found marijuana in his pocket. He was released after signing a notice to appear before a judge. Few hours later, he was also cited for driving under a suspended license. He was sentenced to six months probation and ordered to pay around about $400 for his violations.

    Wilson Chandler

    Wilson Chandler, former New York Knicks player, was picked up for a drug offence after police found marijuana in his car. Police stopped Candler for driving the vehicle with headlights off. When officers approached the car they smelled marijuana. During the search, they recovered few small bags of marijuana inside the car. The driver Candler and the passenger in the front seat admitted of smoking pot.

    Chris Herren

    In December 2004, Chris Herren was charged with possession of heroin and driving under the influence with a revoked license. After completing intensive rehabilitation programs, Herren became drug-free in 2008.




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