Lebron James Tests Positive for Steroids? and He's Allowed to Play Against the 76ers?
Lebron James tested positive for steroids, or so the story was being spread, and he was being suspended from playing 50 games. What? That's the rest of the season and the playoff games and the finals (providing that the Cleveland Cavaliers made it through to the NBA finals) and a few games into next season as well. Is it possible? Could Lebron James have actually tested positive for steroids?
Anything is possible and the allure of building the better ball player (and making more money) is always there, but it seems that Lebron James has become the victim of name similarity and runaway hype. And it just so happens that the Lebron in question also is associated with a professional team in Cleveland, Ohio. But it isn't the Cavaliers. No, Steven Lebron is a player in the Cleveland Indians minor league system -- and he tested positive for steroids and has been suspended for 50 games. The good news for Steven Lebron is that baseball season lasts 162 games and, although the Indians have voided his contract, he still has a chance to return.
Contributing to the reporting problem (other than some being in willful denial of reading the second of a two-part word structure, like Lebron James/ Steven Lebron and Cleveland Cavaliers/ Indians) was that Lebron James had been sitting out a week of play, taking an imposed rest to recuperate from chronic injuries, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It's the little things that contribute to the efficacy of rumor.
But blogs like I Hate Gossips tend to help spread the rumor simply by offering titles like "Lebron James Using Steroids Exposed" and then exposes nothing but a Web page full of ads. Then there are the poorly written blogs like Yes Dady that mislead readers into not only thinking Lebron James has taken steroids and tested positive for them, but that they also throw in confusing lines about signing with the Indians Summer League team, which is part of the Steven Lebron story.
So don't expect Lebron James not to show up for Cleveland's game against the Philadelphia 76'ers Friday night. He'll be there all rested up and steroid free -- as far as anyone truly knows -- leading the top-ranked Cavaliers in their bid to finish the season with the best record in the NBA.