Milwaukee Bucks' Bobby Portis Jr. suspended 25 games for anti-drug program violation

Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The NBA issued a 25-game suspension to Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr. for a violation of the anti-drug policy, the league announced Thursday.

Portis tested positive for the opioid pain medication tramadol, which is a controlled substance. He will start his suspension Thursday.

Agent Mark Bartelstein, who represents Portis, said on social media that his client unintentionally took tramadol, "thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol," which is an approved medication.

Bartelstein said tramadol was added to the banned substance list last spring.

"I am devastated for Bobby right now because he made an honest mistake and the ramifications of it are incredibly significant," Bartelstein wrote on X.

Bartelstein also said an assistant of Portis told him the substance was Toradol, a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug.

"Bobby is a great person, teammate and professional, and has a wonderful reputation in our league, his communities and his team," Bartelstein said. "There are no bigger fans of the NBA than Bobby and I, and we are grateful to have closely and collaboratively worked with the NBA on countless occasions.

"We support the league's anti-drug policy and its purpose in having a fair, competitive, healthy landscape for our athletes as it relates to drugs of abuse, performance enhancing issues, etc. Bobby Portis is absolutely not a drug abuser."

The World Anti-Doping Agency says data suggests that tramadol reduces exertional pain and allows athletes to "work even harder."

"However, there is currently no convincing research evidence to support or reject whether tramadol is performance enhancing in highly trained, healthy athletes," the WADA website says.

Portis, 30, averaged 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game through 46 appearances this season. He averaged 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game over his last five seasons with the Bucks, who won a championship in 2021.

The 10-year veteran has a player option of $13.4 million in 2025-26.

The Bucks (29-24) will host the Los Angeles Clippers (31-23) at 8 p.m. EST Thursday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. They sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.