By Declan HarrisShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberOn Saturday afternoon, the NBA announced that Philadelphia 76ers’ star Paul George would be suspended for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
In a statement released by George following the announcement, he took accountability regarding the matter, explaining that he took medication to help treat his mental health.
“Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication,” George’s statement reads. “I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates and the Philly fans for my poor decision making during this process.”
Given the platform that George has in the league, being a nine-time All-Star, the announcement sent shockwaves around the league, catching the eyes of many. This includes the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, who, on Inside The NBA, called out George for not knowing better, given his long tenure in the league.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened, but I just want to say that, they give us a booklet on what to do and what not to do, they give us a booklet,” O’Neal stated. “They also give you inside the booklet, how long it takes you to get rid of something, so I don’t want to elaborate on what he was doing but you know, stuff like this should not happen… when you’ve been in the league this long, you know what it is, you know they test you three to four times a year.”
...What’s next for George and the Sixers?
The suspension comes at a time of tremendous success for the Sixers, who are currently in the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, posting a record of 5-5 across their last ten games. As for George himself, he is averaging 16 points per game on 42.4 percent shooting from the floor across the 27 appearances he’s made this season.
As things stand, George would return to the team with ten games remaining in the season, which could allow him to get into the system ahead of a potential postseason slate of games.
Philadelphia’s second match without the 35-year-old will come on Monday night when they visit the Intuit Dome for a match against the Los Angeles Clippers, with tip-off slated for 10:00 p.m. EST.
For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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