Tristan Thompson Suspended 25 Games for Violating NBA’s Drug Policy

Tristan Thompson will not be playing in any NBA games for a while. The league announced on Tuesday that Thompson has been suspended 25 games without pay after testing positive for two types of steroids. The 32-year-old, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, violated the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program by testing positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033. The suspension begins on Wednesday when the Cavaliers take on the Milwaukee Bucks. 

In a statement to PEOPLE, the Cavaliers said they  “fully support the NBA/NBAPA Anti-Drug Program, and we are disappointed in the recent news surrounding Tristan Thompson.” They added, “His time away from game action will have an impact on our team. We stand behind Tristan and offer our support throughout this suspension period.”

Thompson signed with the Cavaliers in September on a one-year contract. He spent his first nine  NBA seasons with the Cavaliers and won an NBA championship with LeBron James in 2016. Thompson also played for the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Indian Pacers and Chicago Bulls before returning to the Cavaliers. Along with being an NBA champion, Thompson was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2012. 

Along with his on-court work, Thompson is known for having an on-and-off relationship with Khloé Kardashian, and the two share two children — True, 5 and Tatum, 1. He has appeared on The Kardashians and talked about getting together with his children’s mother in an episode last fall. “I’m a firm believer that if you make a mistake, you have to be accountable for it and stand on two feet. You do the crime, ya gotta own it,” he said in the episode. 

Thompson and Kardashian broke up in early 2022 amid his multiple cheating scandals. Earlier this month, Kardashian spoke to tmrw about why she doesn’t “badmouth” her ex. “With me and Tristan, would it be really easy to never talk to him again and to just badmouth him or whatever? Of course. But it’s way harder to be nice,” Kardashian says of the co-parenting relationship,” she said. “It’s way harder when you’re really mad at someone, it’s really hard to sit in their face in front of your kids and be like, ‘Hi!’ Trust me, that’s not how I feel every day. I had to learn to take control of my feelings.”