LeBron James‘ legacy and status as one of the greatest NBA players of all-time stood unquestioned until earlier this week when Kevin Garnett sensationally claimed that the Los Angeles Laker has been using performance enhancing drugs, but where did the claims come from?
Garnett, an ex-Boston Celtics player, made the claims on a podcast with Paul Pierce, connecting the 39-year-old to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative group by suggesting that he is using “new juice” pioneered by the company.
LeBron James and Jeanie Buss share an emotional moment on the court at the Lakers-Bucks game
It came when he was questioned by Pierce about whether LeBron is stronger than his son, Bronny, with the host feeling as though the son would be strong enough to dunk on his dad which is something Garnett laughed off.
“You seen his dad? his dad on that BALCO. He’s on that new juice,” Garnett said.
It was then tied to older claims made by Chael Sonnen, who competed in the MMA, who suggested that he and James shared the same drug dealer to purchase erythropoietin before he doubled down by saying he doesn’t see anything wrong with what he did.
“He [James] and I have one thing in common,” Sonnen said. “We use the same drug dealer to buy our EPO. I don’t see anything wrong with that…
“Performance and enhancing are good terms, you can pin that on me”.
What is erythropoietin?
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone that plays a crucial role in the production of red blood cells (erythropoiesis) in the body. It is primarily produced by the kidneys, although a small amount may also be synthesized in the liver.
EPO functions by stimulating the bone marrow to produce red blood cells, which are responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body.
EPO has gained notoriety as a performance-enhancing drug in sports. Athletes may abuse synthetic EPO to increase their red blood cell count, thereby enhancing their oxygen-carrying capacity and potentially improving endurance and performance.
The use of EPO as a doping agent is prohibited by anti-doping agencies and sports governing bodies due to its potential health risks and unfair competitive advantage.
Detection methods have been developed to identify synthetic EPO in athletes’ blood samples, aiming to maintain the integrity of sports competitions and protect athletes’ health.
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