MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis has been suspended for 25 games for taking a banned substance, the NBA announced on Thursday. Portis tested positive for a painkiller called Tramadol, and will begin his suspension on Thursday when the Bucks host the Los Angeles Clippers.
“I want to make something clear,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before Thursday’s game. “Bobby’s not a drug user. I hate that it just says you flunked the drug policy and so when people read that, the first place they go is the wrong place. This was as big of a mistake as can be made, like it’s a mistake. So it bothers me on a lot of levels. As a league — I’m trying to steer close to the middle here — we gotta try to… rules are rules, I get it, but there are also human circumstances and common sense.
“One thing, Bobby’s not is a cheater. To me, that’s where we have to try to figure out how to change this a little bit… I just feel bad for Bobby on so many levels. Dude’s gone through a lot this year with his [grandmother] passing, his house being broken in, and then this.”
Portis, who will be eligible to return on April 8 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, just four games before the end of the regular season, is the first notable NBA player to be suspended for taking a banned substance since Tristan Thompson in January 2024. Thompson was also suspended for 25 games.
During his suspension, Portis will be able to practice with the Bucks, but he will have to leave the arena two hours before tip-off. It remains to be seen whether Portis will travel with the team during his suspension. Rivers said the team is “fighting” for that to happen.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to apologize to the Bucks organization, my teammates, coaches, family, and fans,” Portis said in a statement. “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 said that the positive test was the result of a medication mix-up, which his agent, Mark Bartelstein, explained in further detail. Here is the full statement Bartelstein gave to Shams Charania.
“I am devastated for Bobby right now because he made an honest mistake and the ramifications of it are incredibly significant
“Bobby unintentionally took a pain medication called Tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol. Toradol is an approved pain medication that he has used previously and that teams and players use for pain and inflammation at times. Tramadol, however, is not an approved pain medication and was just recently added to the banned substance list this past spring. The Tramadol pill he took came from an assistant of his, with a valid prescription for the painkiller, which he mistakenly told Bobby was Toradol. This was, again, an honest mistake that was made because of the similarity in the names of the drugs and the fact that they both serve a very similar purpose. Bobby was using this anti-inflammatory pain-reducing medication to deal with an elbow injury he had this past fall and believed he was taking Toradol to alleviate some pain in preparation for that night’s game.
“Bobby is a great person, teammate and professional, and has a wonderful reputation in our league, his communities, and his team. There are no bigger fans of the NBA than Bobby and I, and we are grateful to have closely and collaboratively worked with the NBA on countless occasions. We support the league’s anti-drug policity and its pupose in having a fair, competitive, healthy landscape for our athletes as it relates to drugs of abuse, performance enhancing issues, etc. 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. Today, in this instance, I am so deeply disappointed that the NBA chooses to interpret its policy so strictly, and that the policy does not allow for a different result for an honest mistake with pure intentions.
“Bobby loves being a part of the NBA and he loves being a role model and a true ambassador for the Bucks and the city of Milwaukee. This has been incredibly difficult for him, but he will accept this penalty with grace and turn this into a great opportunity to improve and further build his reputation and performance in every way, both on and off the court.”
Tramadol was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list in 2024. “Tramadol abuse, with its risk of physical dependence, opiate use disorder and overdoses, is of concern worldwide and has led to it being a controlled drug in many countries,” WADA wrote upon making the decision. “Research studies funded by WADA, as referenced in the Explanatory Note, have also confirmed the potential for tramadol to enhance sports performance.”
While the NBA is not a code signatory of the WADA, the league did update its banned substance list to include Tramadol in 2024.
Rivers said there is an appeals process, but the team decided not to go that route because “the danger of that was too great to take.” While Rivers did not elaborate on why that was, it stands to reason that if Portis ended up losing the appeal a few weeks from now, the suspension could have stretched into the playoffs.
Portis, a fan favorite in Milwaukee, is averaging 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 36.4% from 3-point range. His absence will be a significant blow to the Bucks’ second unit as they fight for playoff seeding in the second half of the season.
The Bucks will be allowed to sign a replacement player starting with the sixth game of Portis’ suspension, according to Bobby Marks. Whether the Bucks will do so remains to be seen, but given their thin frontcourt they could certainly use an extra body. In Portis’ absence, their only true bigs with notable NBA experience are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Jericho Sims.
“Our goals haven’t changed as a team, it’s just gonna be harder,” Rivers said. “Bobby’s a huge loss, I’m not gonna try to sugarcoat that. He’s been so good for us, not only on the floor, but his spirit. We need his spirit.”
Coming out of the All-Star break, the Bucks sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference at 29-24. They are one game behind the fourth-place Indiana Pacers and one game ahead of the sixth-place Detroit Pistons.
