On the heels of 4/20, Clippers power forward Blake Griffin said in an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this week that he'd support use of medicinal marijuana in the NBA, just to get players off of prescription painkillers. This comes a few months after Seahawks coach Pete Carroll also called for the NFL to explore medical marijuana to treat pain. Marijuana as a medical tool for pain and to curb stress is a legitimate conversation in professional sports today, whereas players in the past had to hide their affection for the drug.
For decades, however, American athletes have smoked. Some for fun, others to treat themselves. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been smoking for years to treat his migraines. Ricky Williams lights up for spiritual and mental health reasons. Michael Phelps, however, ripped bongs just for the hell of it. Those athletes and more are among The 25 Best Athlete Stoners of All-Time.