Recent news revealing that Bobby Portis violated the league’s drug policy and has been suspended for 25 games caught the NBA world off guard. To those who might not be aware, Portis is on the Milwaukee Bucks and has established himself as a solid player.
Violating the league’s drug policy looks to be a serious issue that should not be ignored. However, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers came to the defense of his star and claimed that the suspension was a complete overreaction from the league authorities.
Doc Rivers Believes that Bobby Portis Took the Wrong Pain Medication
Upon initially hearing that Portis had violated the drug policy, many assumed that he had taken a substance or PED. However, reports have now revealed that Portis took a pain medication substance called Tramadol when he intended to take Toradol. Since Tramadol was banned by the league, he was suspended for 25 games.
Bobby Portis reportedly failed his drug test this past November, per @LoriNickel
Doc Rivers says it was on his “radar” for awhile. pic.twitter.com/TWDnj1v4Iw
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 21, 2025
While mixing up medications is no small matter, Doc Rivers eagerly voiced his disapproval towards the 25-game suspension and made it very clear that he knew Bobby Portis and supported the Bucks star.
“I want to make something clear: Bobby’s not a drug user. I hate that it just says that you flunked the drug policy. And so when people read that, the first place they go is the wrong place. This is as big a mistake as can be made, like, it’s a mistake. And, so it bothers me on a lot of levels….”
Doc Rivers also went on to point out that confusing both pain medications was completely possible due to the fact that they sounded similar. Moreover, Rivers also claimed that the single dosage of Tramadol alone and nothing else is proof that all of this is a big misunderstanding.
The Bucks coach also pointed out that Portis’ 25-game suspension is going to hurt his team’s chemistry and momentum heading into the final stretch of the season. After all, Portis is known to be quite a vocal personality and reportedly also holds other Bucks players accountable during practices and scrimmages.
Since there is no way to know if this was an honest mistake, the league had no choice but to enforce its rules and suspend Bobby Portis. By the time his suspension term ends, there will only be 4 games left for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2024-2025 NBA regular season.
Fans are left wondering what the Bucks will do with this temporary open position on their roster and who will step up to take on Portis’ role. This can also be considered a message to players across the league that they should be extremely vigilant with regard to the substances they put in their bodies.
