Somewhere in America, Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson are smiling right now.
On Monday, the NBA and the NBA Players Association have reached an agreement to halt the random drug screenings while play is suspended, league sources tell Yahoo! Sports.
This ban is temporary until the NBA decides to resume play. Per insiders, the NBA and NBAPA want to prevent any unnecessary contact during the outbreak. Halting the drugs test will prevent the players from coming in contact with test administrators that could be asymptomatic for the coronavirus or vice versa.
Normally, players could be subjected to up to six random, unannounced urine drug tests. These tests could happen while a player is in-season or during the off-season. The league screens for banned substances like steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. The test also detects recreational drugs like marijuana despite the NBA having teams in states that allow recreational use of weed for people over the age of 21.
According to the current CBA, players cited for drug abuse are suspended from the league for up to two years. Players that have tested positive for PEDs are suspended for 25 games for the first offense. The second offense is a 55 game suspension while the third offense is a two-year ban from the NBA.
