Steroids in the NBA

[LA_Showtime]

is this the new way to bash players on ish? instead of bashing their fans it'll become player ___ sucks because he's obviously on steroids.

if i had to pick one guy in the nba to test for steroids, it would be d-wade. i doubt he uses them, but the guy is ripped now and his head looks bigger.

[Basketball Dirk]

There is nothing unnatural about a player being a lot bigger in their 20's then when they are 17-18. The additional working out also comes in handy.

I went from 190lbs at 17 (6'4) to 227 now that I'm in my early 20's and I didn't even work out much. Nope, it's not fat.

[Biddy77]

you don't need steroids to build any physique ever seen in the NBA. steroids will certainly get you there *quicker* than you could get there without steroids, but you can still do it plenty fast without them.

all NBA players have access to very highly paid and knowledgeable trainers and nutritionists, and a lot of guys also have personal chefs who work with their nutritionists to build meal plans for them, etc. those factors and their activity levels add up considerably.

this guy is a natural pro bodybuilder... he uses supplements like creatine, whey, casein, nitrous oxide boosters, etc... but nothing horomonal. no steroids, and no insulin + HGH cocktails.

Layne Norton:



in that pic, he's in contest shape--about 1-2% lower than the lowest bodyfat percentages in the NBA.

another natural pro, Jim Cordova:



now... neither of these guys would hold up well in an IFBB show like the Arnold Classic, or the Mr Olympia... because they'd be facing guys whose bodies you really *can't* attain without juice.

for contrast, here's a guy known for being 'small' by IFBB standards... Dexter "The Blade" Jackson:



to put it in perspective, Dexter is 1" taller than Cordova (they're both shrimps, btw... 5'6" and 5'7"), and Dex outweighs Jim by over 40 pounds.

i would actually guess that steroid use in the NBA is *very* rare. in most instances, it would probably be guys cheating rehab work, etc and trying to come back quicker. unfortunately, while steroids are great for building muscle, they don't do s**t for tendons, ligaments, bones, etc.

i definitely don't think it's out of the question that some guys have given it a shot just to try to increase performance, though.

[twolvesfan]

you don't need steroids to build any physique ever seen in the NBA. steroids will certainly get you there *quicker* than you could get there without steroids, but you can still do it plenty fast without them.

all NBA players have access to very highly paid and knowledgeable trainers and nutritionists, and a lot of guys also have personal chefs who work with their nutritionists to build meal plans for them, etc. those factors and their activity levels add up considerably.

this guy is a natural pro bodybuilder... he uses supplements like creatine, whey, casein, nitrous oxide boosters, etc... but nothing horomonal. no steroids, and no insulin + HGH cocktails.

Layne Norton:



in that pic, he's in contest shape--about 1-2% lower than the lowest bodyfat percentages in the NBA.

another natural pro, Jim Cordova:



now... neither of these guys would hold up well in an IFBB show like the Arnold Classic, or the Mr Olympia... because they'd be facing guys whose bodies you really *can't* attain without juice.

for contrast, here's a guy known for being 'small' by IFBB standards... Dexter "The Blade" Jackson:



to put it in perspective, Dexter is 1" taller than Cordova (they're both shrimps, btw... 5'6" and 5'7"), and Dex outweighs Jim by over 40 pounds.

i would actually guess that steroid use in the NBA is *very* rare. in most instances, it would probably be guys cheating rehab work, etc and trying to come back quicker. unfortunately, while steroids are great for building muscle, they don't do s**t for tendons, ligaments, bones, etc.

i definitely don't think it's out of the question that some guys have given it a shot just to try to increase performance, though.

nice post, this also brings up a point that irritates me so much. People will always say X player is on steroids because he has muscles, while it is impossible to tell and its not even remotely accurate to tell if someone is juicing. look at baseball pitchers for example, hardly any of them are cut and most just look like an average joe and a lot of pitchers juice.

[adamcz]

You guys are crazy, just because guys are in shape and muscular they are on roids? Like the guy above me said, they basically live with world class trainers and eat whatever they want. Eating and lifting will bulk you up FAST

Baseball players have the same exact world class trainers, and yet every baseball player who bulked up later turned out to have done so with steroids. Five or ten years ago, fans were defending the baseball players, saying that it's the world class trainers and nutrition that made them so big, but they were wrong.

If baseball players can't do it the natural way, why should basketball players have that ability?

[Biddy77]

Baseball players have the same exact world class trainers, and yet every baseball player who bulked up later turned out to have done so with steroids. Five or ten years ago, fans were defending the baseball players, saying that it's the world class trainers and nutrition that made them so big, but they were wrong.

If baseball players can't do it the natural way, why should basketball players have that ability?

the issue here is that you said "if baseball players can't do it the natural way", which is wrong, frankly.

at some point in time, steroids became an issue in baseball, and other players started short-cutting to get there quicker. word spreads quickly, and BOOM! it becomes a pervasive issue.

i have never seen a baseball player whose physique was unattainable without steroids. steroids make it quicker, and they make it easier.

also, consider the reason for steroids being popular with baseball players... pitching, and hitting. quick, powerful movements. football, same thing. players are generally dynamic for brief periods of time.

in sports like basketball, hockey, and soccer, you're on the move for more sustained periods of time, and steroids would have a less notable direct impact on a player's performance. they could help with things like holding position, explosive leaping, etc... but they aren't going to make you a better shooter, ball handler, give you better footwork, etc.

thus, the risk vs reward is a lot less agreeable.

[Thorpesaurous]

the issue here is that you said "if baseball players can't do it the natural way", which is wrong, frankly.

at some point in time, steroids became an issue in baseball, and other players started short-cutting to get there quicker. word spreads quickly, and BOOM! it becomes a pervasive issue.

i have never seen a baseball player whose physique was unattainable without steroids. steroids make it quicker, and they make it easier.

also, consider the reason for steroids being popular with baseball players... pitching, and hitting. quick, powerful movements. football, same thing. players are generally dynamic for brief periods of time.

in sports like basketball, hockey, and soccer, you're on the move for more sustained periods of time, and steroids would have a less notable direct impact on a player's performance. they could help with things like holding position, explosive leaping, etc... but they aren't going to make you a better shooter, ball handler, give you better footwork, etc.

thus, the risk vs reward is a lot less agreeable.

A lot of that is true, but similar things could be said about baseball. At the end of the day, you have to put the bat on the ball squarely, or throw the thing where you want to throw it, and neither one of those things is going to be helped by steroids.

I think the real point is that these pro sport jobs are incredibly rare commodities, that lead to untold riches and a degree of fame to even it's worst holders. And these guys are all by nature incredibly competitive. If someone gets in there ear saying this thing will help you, the guy on the fringe is not unlikely to bite. And the ability to aid recovery I think would be a very appealing element for a pro basketball player.

Like I said, I just don't think it's pervaded the culture of basketball yet. But I doubt that there's this many competitive, physical guys, making living with their bodies, and not one of them has been used a PED. Maybe it's the pessimest in me, who knows.

[Biddy77]

A lot of that is true, but similar things could be said about baseball. At the end of the day, you have to put the bat on the ball squarely, or throw the thing where you want to throw it, and neither one of those things is going to be helped by steroids.

I think the real point is that these pro sport jobs are incredibly rare commodities, that lead to untold riches and a degree of fame to even it's worst holders. And these guys are all by nature incredibly competitive. If someone gets in there ear saying this thing will help you, the guy on the fringe is not unlikely to bite. And the ability to aid recovery I think would be a very appealing element for a pro basketball player.

Like I said, I just don't think it's pervaded the culture of basketball yet. But I doubt that there's this many competitive, physical guys, making living with their bodies, and not one of them has been used a PED. Maybe it's the pessimest in me, who knows.

agreed. my point with baseball was just to highlight the power aspects of pitching and hitting, in which raw power can make a dramatic difference. pitch speed and batting distance are big deals in the sport.

generally speaking, i do agree with your post, as usual.

[DCL]

it's possible to completely dominate basketball as a skinny ass or even unathletic player. muscle mass/raw power is advantageous but not mandatory. whether steroids are helping basketball players or not is not even a concerned issue because it just isn't an issue. nobody cares in this sport because it's not even close to the major factor to whether a guy is just average or pretty good. it doesn't greatly enhance your game. steroids don't help you make a jump shot or a nice pass. if you're a good basketball player who happens to be big, you're just good because you got game, certainly not because you're taking steroids.

in other sports like baseball, it's not the same because the effects are much more realized and player might consider the results. if he doesn't take steroids, he might be hitting just 25HR. but if he decided to inject it up his ass, he might potentionally be hitting 40HR and be the man. that's significant enough to practically make the entire league care enough to trade off their testicles for sports performances. you don't need to be a rocket science to figure out that no skinny guy is ever dominating the bat or leading the league in home runs. those guys all take steroids because it's a much more significant performance enhancer for them, and it's a critical element, but basketball? shiiit, it's just a stupid issue because being just big and strong don't mean much because that alone won't make an average player into a superstar player. if you're just a 10-5 guy, taking roids won't elevate you to a 20-10 player. it's not some instant magical potion like it might be for other sports.

this is not an issue in the nba because nobody friggin cares for all the reasons above.

[twolvesfan]

it's possible to completely dominate basketball as a skinny ass or even unathletic player. muscle mass/raw power is advantageous but not mandatory. whether steroids are helping basketball players or not is not even a concerned issue because it just isn't an issue. nobody cares in this sport because it's not even close to the major factor to whether a guy is just average or pretty good. it doesn't greatly enhance your game. steroids don't help you make a jump shot or a nice pass. if you're a good basketball player who happens to be big, you're just good because you got game, certainly not because you're taking steroids.

in other sports like baseball, it's not the same because the effects are much more realized and player might consider the results. if he doesn't take steroids, he might be hitting just 25HR. but if he decided to inject it up his ass, he might potentionally be hitting 40HR and be the man. that's significant enough to practically make the entire league care enough to trade off their testicles for sports performances. you don't need to be a rocket science to figure out that no skinny guy is ever dominating the bat or leading the league in home runs. those guys all take steroids because it's a much more significant performance enhancer for them, and it's a critical element, but basketball? shiiit, it's just a stupid issue because being just big and strong don't mean much because that alone won't make an average player into a superstar player. if you're just a 10-5 guy, taking roids won't elevate you to a 20-10 player. it's not some instant magical potion like it might be for other sports.

this is not an issue in the nba because nobody friggin cares for all the reasons above.

steroids could make you a faster player and stronger which would help you a lot in rebounds. they could help you jump higher which would give you a higher chance to block shots. please dont act like steroids wouldnt have any impact in the nba. look at shawn green, he is skinny and has hit a bunch of home runs in the past. 20 years ago nobody cared or thought steroids was a problem in the mlb but oh boy now a days it seems like everyone does them.

[DCL]

steroids could make you a faster player and stronger which would help you a lot in rebounds. they could help you jump higher which would give you a higher chance to block shots. please dont act like steroids wouldnt have any impact in the nba. look at shawn green, he is skinny and has hit a bunch of home runs in the past. 20 years ago nobody cared or thought steroids was a problem in the mlb but oh boy now a days it seems like everyone does them.

the word "impact" gets thrown around too carelessly on this board.

when you're talking about "impact" like someone is an impact player, it suggests that player has significant contributions to the team. and for a baseball player who is good enough to naturally hit only 25HR or so but suddenly hits about 40 or even close to 50HR if he took steroids, that is IMPACT form steroid effects.

but do you really believe that in basketball if a guy was naturally only good enough to grab 5 boards a game might suddenly be a monster rebounder??? that's just not happening. whatever change it has is not impact. impact is something major and significant. if you're an average rebounder, taking roids won't make you into an impact rebounder. you're still going to be about average or slightly above average. that's not what i would consider as "IMPACT."

[twolvesfan]

the word "impact" gets thrown around too carelessly on this board.

when you're talking about "impact" like someone is an impact player, it suggests that player has significant contributions to the team. and for a baseball player who is good enough to naturally hit only 25HR or so but suddenly hits about 40 or even close to 50HR if he took steroids, that is IMPACT form steroid effects.

but do you really believe that in basketball if a guy was naturally only good enough to grab 5 boards a game might suddenly be a monster rebounder??? that's just not happening. whatever change it has is not impact. impact is something major and significant. if you're an average rebounder, taking roids won't make you into an impact rebounder. you're still going to be about average or slightly above average. that's not what i would consider as "IMPACT."

its possible. with a lot of added strength it would be much easier to get rebounds.

[Thorpesaurous]

the word "impact" gets thrown around too carelessly on this board.

when you're talking about "impact" like someone is an impact player, it suggests that player has significant contributions to the team. and for a baseball player who is good enough to naturally hit only 25HR or so but suddenly hits about 40 or even close to 50HR if he took steroids, that is IMPACT form steroid effects.

but do you really believe that in basketball if a guy was naturally only good enough to grab 5 boards a game might suddenly be a monster rebounder??? that's just not happening. whatever change it has is not impact. impact is something major and significant. if you're an average rebounder, taking roids won't make you into an impact rebounder. you're still going to be about average or slightly above average. that's not what i would consider as "IMPACT."

Isn't basketball the most purely physical sport. Doesn't it rely the most on athleticism. So wouldn't that alone make the potential use of PEDs more compelling.

[plowking]

Really, people think Wade is using steroids?

I'm 6'4 as well and have 10lbs on Wade. I bench just over 330lbs as my max, and I haven't touched steroids in my life. Not even protein shakes.

Now I'm supposed to believe someone, who was way faster, jumps a bit higher and is possibly as strong as I am, uses roids, when he had the same running and jumping ability as a rookie? Only now he is stronger, though it's what happens when you go from 21 to 27. He is only 10lbs heavier then his rookie weight.

[Biddy77]

Isn't basketball the most purely physical sport. Doesn't it rely the most on athleticism. So wouldn't that alone make the potential use of PEDs more compelling.

basketball is definitely one of the most physical and athletically reliant sports. despite this, basketball ability is actually more technique-driven than athletic.

in baseball, football, swimming, track, gymnastics, etc--sports in which steroids are generally pervasive--raw physical power and explosiveness is often involved in the most frequent applications of athletecism. pitching, hitting, throwing a ball, etc--are all skills that benefit heavily from an increase in power.

incredible amounts of raw power aren't applicable to shooting, passing, or dribbling, which are the fundamental skills in basketball.

this is why i brought up the risk vs reward component. if a guy goes "well, i could take this s**t and get stronger, and that could help me jump a little higher, or box out better, but it won't help my points, assists, or steals, won't help defense, rebounding, or blocks much, and can f**k up my career if people find out"--then he's less likely to juice than a guy in baseball who is going "this s**t can help my hitting, and that's half the game for me", or "this s**t can help my pitch speed, and that's the whole game for me".