5 NBA players who smoke weed featuring Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and more
Former NBA players such as J.R. Smith, Al Harrington and Iman Shumpert all believe that the majority of the league smokes weed. As per the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, weed is still prohibited in the NBA.
However, the league stopped testing marijuana during the season starting in 2020, which meant players could smoke all they wanted. Smith even claimed that they were smoking a lot of pot in the NBA bubble.
In this list of weed users in the NBA, we didn't include known potheads such as the names mentioned above. Former players such as Michael Beasley, Stephen Jackson, Matt Barnes and Kenyon Martin are also not on this list. Even Steve Kerr, who admitted to using marijuana after back surgery, is not included.
Without further ado, here are five NBA players who smoke weed.
#5 LaMelo Ball
A video of LaMelo Ball smoking a blunt went viral during the NBA Play-in Tournament earlier this year. There were unconfirmed reports that Ball used weed before the Charlotte Hornets' play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hornets were demolished by the Hawks 132-103. Ball finished the game with 26 points, five rebounds and eight assists, but went 7-for-25 from the field.
🤯@WorldWideWob LaMelo Ball smoking a blunt before the ‘Play-In’ game…😱🤯
He kinda balled out against the #Hawks so 🤷🏾♂️…
#Hornets #AllFly #NBA #NBAPlayin #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/q5VaUct65x
#4 Steve Nash
Steve Nash revealed in an appearance on "All The Smoke" podcast that he started using weed after retirement. Nash explained that smoking pot helped him overcome issues with his sleep. He thinks that marijuana will be part of every athlete's life in the future as society becomes more open about it.
"Cannabis really improved my life," Nash said. "Now,I have more energy to be a dad because I get those hours of sleep. ... Its becoming legalized and we are educated enough that is not like the stigma around it.''
#3 Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson used weed a lot early in his NBA career, even getting arrested for possession of marijuana in 1997. Iverson eventually stopped smoking pot until he was convinced by Al Harrington to get into the weed game.
"The Answer" became a partner of Harrington and his company called Viola, which is now valued at over $100 million. Harrington told the story of how he persuaded Iverson to invest in Viola.
"I was telling him like, 'Bro, if we do this, you're gonna have to smoke,'" Harrington said on the "No Chill" podcast. "He said to me, 'If you make weed tastes like Dom Perignon, I'll smoke it.' So that's what we took and I ran with it."
#2 LeBron James
LeBron James confessed in his book "Shooting Stars" that he smoked marijuana in high school. "The King" was also seen using a vaporizer in 2013 during the NBA Finals, though it was never confirmed if it contained THC.
James' son Bronny was even caught using weed in 2020. Bronny accidentally posted a video of him smoking a blunt before deleting it. The video went viral, but LeBron never commented on the matter. The LA Lakers superstar was also present at Draymond Green's wedding, which had a blunt-rolling station.
LeBron James blazing in the club o_O?!? He be on that VAPE LIFE... #EveryBodyBlaze http://t.co/uPsmDCRjzV
#1 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant made headlines earlier this year when he admitted to David Letterman that he's high during his appearance on "My Guest Needs No Introduction."
Durant is the highest-profile NBA player to admit that he uses weed and is an advocate of its medical uses. He's also a partner of Weedmaps, an app that can find local dispensaries.
"To me, it clears the distractions out of your brain a little bit," Durant told Letterman. "Settles you down. It's like having a glass of wine. I'm actually high right now."