Kevin Garnett made the allegations on March 8

LA Lakers forward LeBron James salutes public address announcer Lawrence TanterMark J. TerrillAP

The NBA world has been rocked by allegations that one of the greatest players of all-time, LeBron James, was using steroids as Kevin Garnett made the allegations on March 8 and they have seemingly been backed up by ex-UFC star Chael Sonnen.

Garnett‘s recent statement on the Ticket and The Truth podcast sparked controversy when he suggested that LeBron James might be using steroids. During a discussion about whether LeBron’s son, Bronny James, could score a basket on his father.

Garnett disagreed with the idea, implying that LeBron’s physical prowess might be enhanced by performance-enhancing drugs. Garnett‘s assertion raised eyebrows due to its serious implications, particularly considering LeBron‘s clean record about drug tests throughout his career.

James‘ physique and longevity in professional sports has always been marvelled as he said he dedicated himself to improving his knowledge and discipline in these two areas to extend his basketball career, currently with the Los Angeles Lakers.

But these allegations cast a serious doubt over that, and they might have just got even stronger in their validity as Sonnen, who now serves as a co-host for an ESPN MMA program, seemed to confirm Garnett‘s claims against James.

“And he and I have one thing in common,” Sonnen said to the Flagrant Podcast. “We use the same drug dealer to buy our EPO [[Erythropoietin]. And I don’t see anything wrong with that… It was something called EPO.

“And in the world of performance enhancing drugs, in my experience, EPO is king. And it is king by eight. I would pass up five other stuffs just to have that. But it’s very, very difficult to get. It’s very expensive. We happen to have the same guy.

“I didn’t say that to oust him and or embarrass him. This wasn’t like a dry snitch. I’m sharing that if you want to get a basketball and you want to make it to 38, you want to be the MVP of the league, you can’t just go do certain things.”

What was the Biogensis scandal?

The conversation took a surprising turn as Garnett referenced the Biogenesis scandal from 2013, where MLB players were linked to obtaining performance-enhancing drugs from a Florida clinic.

In 2023, unredacted federal investigative documents revealed connections between LeBron‘s long-time associate, Ernest “Randy” Mims, and David Alexander, LeBron’s former trainer, to individuals involved in the scandal.

Although James’ was investigated by the DEA due to his association with these figures, the investigation concluded that neither Mims nor Alexander had provided PEDs to James‘, clearing him of any wrongdoing.

Despite this exoneration, Garnett’s comments reignited speculation and scrutiny about James’ potential involvement in performance-enhancing drugs, despite no concrete evidence implicating him.

This incident underscores the sensitivity surrounding allegations of doping in professional sports and highlights the impact of unsubstantiated claims on an athlete’s reputation.