On February 20th, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis was suspended for 25 games following a violation of the league’s anti-drug policy. Since the news broke, it has been revealed that Portis accidentally took a Tramadol pill from a personal assistant, who had mistakenly told the player that it was Toradol. Following the Bucks win over the Los Angeles Clippers on February 20th, the crew of TNT’s Inside the NBA shared their thoughts on the suspension.
Charles Barkley Urges Players Like Bobby Portis to Be More Cautious
Charles Barkley began his thoughts by calling the situation was “stupid,” saying that Portis’ decision to take the pill without being in contact with team medical staff about it was careless. Barkley insisted Portis should have called the Bucks “immediately” to verify its nature:
“You can never put anything in your body without running it by a team.”
Barkley mentioned that, even if Portis’ assistant was a trusted friend, it was still reckless to endanger his availability by taking their word at face value. Conferring with the team doctor about any and every substance being taken is the only way to properly handle such situations.
The NBA legend cited the fact that the issue is going to cause Portis to lose millions of dollars. Even if Portis just made an unfortunate mistake, the reality is he has hurt himself and also his team.
Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith Added Their Thoughts
Shaquille O’Neal started by mentioning that the drug laws of the NBA are complex and can lead to players having incidental conflicts with them. He brought up a personal experience that somewhat defends Portis. As O’Neal prepared for a drug test leading up to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, he decided to eat a poppy seed muffin shortly prior despite being warned not to eat anything. The drug results came back with the legendary center as having tested positive for cocaine. Poppy seeds and cocaine share some of the same derivative ingredients. The issue was eventually cleared up for O’Neal, but the threat of accidental violations was nonetheless illustrated.
Kenny Smith had a rather blunt but not accusatory stance on the issue.
“The moral of the story is, you go to a doctor to get prescribed. Period.”
Smith pointed out that if Portis had received the medication from a team doctor, that the doctor would be the one suspended by the league as opposed to Portis himself. O’Neal reiterated that he believes Portis was not purposefully trying to take a performance-enhancing drug, clarifying that he thinks Portis is a “good guy.” Regardless, Portis is set to miss almost the entire remaining regular season schedule.
Both Barkley and Smith Highlighted the Importance of Kyle Kuzma in Portis’ Absence
Outside of the controversy regarding the suspension itself, the fact remains that the Bucks are now fighting to stay in the top 4 of the eastern conference while not being at full strength for most of the remaining season. Barkley and Smith both pointed to Kyle Kuzma, the trade-deadline acquisition who has started his Bucks career quite well, as the x-factor for Milwaukee.
“Without Bobby, the Kuzma thing is gigantic.”
Kuzma had 13 points and 7 rebounds while also playing strong defense on Clippers star Kawhi Leonard down the stretch for Milwaukee during their 116-110 victory over Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Kevin Porter Jr., another recent acquisition for the Bucks, provided 13 points and good energy off the bench. Both are in line for an increased workload given the elimination of Portis from the rotation for the time being.
Cannot be overstated how good Kyle Kuzma was defensively tonight especially in the 4th
Took Kawhi completely out of the game #Bucks #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/D7DhBexE3p
— Tony Clements (@TonyCMKE) February 21, 2025
Milwaukee is currently wedged between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons in the 5th spot in the East.
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