Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague has joked that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James used steroids during his dominant four-year run with the Miami Heat.
Speaking on his “Club 520” podcast on July 23, Teague claimed that James took steroids during his stint with the Heat, while the panel discussed which version of James across the years was the most dominant.
“Miami Heat ‘Bron… he was on steroids, bro,” Teague said.
“He had to sit out. He was on steroids for real. Legit, he was on steroids, bro. Allegedly. He had to sit out…. They started testing for HGH and… he had to sit out. He said his back was hurt, and he sat out for like three weeks and came back skinny. I was in the league, so I remember.”
“They started testing for HGH and he had to sit out. He said his back was hurting and he sat out for 3 weeks then came back skinny.”
A user on X highlighted how Teague inserted the word “allegedly” during his accusation to cover his bases and avoid potential legal trouble.
Shortly after his comments went viral, Teague clarified that he was joking.
The Infamous LeBron James Sabbatical
The two-week break that Teague was referring to was under immense media scrutiny back in 2014, with some conspiracy theorists alleging James of suspicious activity.
Several other former NBA players have jokingly accused James of taking steroids in the past. During an episode of the “KG Certified” in February 2024, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce spoke extensively about the secret to James’ longevity and explosiveness.
Garnett joked that James was a consumer of products from BALCO, the infamous laboratory in the San Francisco Bay Area that was under investigation by the U.S. federal government for distributing anabolic steroids to professional athletes.
On The KG Certified Podcast Garnett said LeBron is “on that BALCO”
Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) was a lab that was in a scandal involving the production and distribution of an undetectable
Steroid Claims Have Followed James
Garnett’s comments sparked more accusations from Jason Whitlock, who said on his “Fearless” podcast that KG had nothing to gain from the accusation.
“The ‘steroid card’, the ‘juice card’, has been played on LeBron James, and the media is trying to ignore it – we don’t ignore anything over here at Fearless,” Whitlock said.
“Why would Kevin Garnett do this? Why now? Jealously, hate – I don’t think that’s it. …LeBron is breaking all of these records and in this position not because of his great skill, but because of physical blessings that many of them believe have been enhanced through chemical blessings.”
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen also accused James of using PEDs during his appearance on “The Flagrant” podcast in March 2023.
“If you know what these performance enhancers did, then you would know why it does matter,” Sonnen said. “We have the same drug guy, I know exactly what he’s doing…. EPO matters, it’s the reason LeBron takes it, it matters. EPO increases your red blood cells, which gives you endurance so you can play all game long.”
James will return to the Lakers in the 2025-26 season for his record-breaking 23rd NBA season. Vince Carter previously held the record for most NBA seasons with 22. The 40-year-old is expected to play at least two more seasons, per multiple insiders. Last season, he became the oldest player ever to be named to an All-NBA Team.
LeBron James Accused of Using Steroids — Yet Again