Update: More than a year after he was suspended by the NBA for violating the league's drug abuse policy, guard Jalen Harris has signed with the New York Knicks.
The former Toronto Raptor guard was banned for one year in 2021. The NBA did not say which drug or drugs were the cause; the possiblities include cocaine, meth, heroin and prescriptions like Xanax and Oxycodone.
The NBA rarely punishes players in this fashion. Previous one-year or multi-years drug suspendees include Tyreke Evans (2019), O.J. Mayo (2016) and Chris Anderson (2006).
The NBA has not tested for cananbis in the last two years.
Harris was drafted by the Raptors in 2020 in the second round out of the University of Nevada - Reno. He only played 13 games in his rookie season, averaging 7.4 ppg.
"It’s not quite clear who these policies of prohibition benefit," Jasmin Duale writes at Yahoo. "Punishment beyond counselling and a rehab-focused suspension can read as cruel."
He tweeted:
wrote about the NBA's drug policy in contrast to how they handle cases of alleged abuse. "Jalen Harris suspension reveals uneven standards for accountability" https://t.co/FoN9qCSTZv via @YahooCASports
— elliot stabler's anger management coach (@carmeloohdrama) July 4, 2021
Others tweeted:
I’m really sad about this Jalen Harris situation. I really hope he gets the help he needs and can return to us in the 22-23 season.
—(@basicallysanta) July 2, 2021
I wonder if it might be related to his injuries & he wasn’t getting prescribed stuff to help him so he chose to go another route. Sucks regardless.
Hopefully everything is okay. So it was Jalen Harris that was photographed with a foot injury. If his foot injuries pain killers was on the restricted list. That's a big oof. (I don't know but Hopefully he's getting the assistance he needs).
— Peter "JoltingZ" Rossignol (@Peterrossignol) July 1, 2021
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