NBA Commissioner Wants To Begin Testing For HGH Next Year

NBA Commissioner David Stern said he would like to begin testing players for human growth hormone by next year.

Stern said he felt the NBA was on track to begin testing players for HGH. According to The Associated Press, the league doesn’t feel performance enhancing drugs are a problem. However, Stern wants to let everyone know where the NBA and the player’s union stand on the matter.

The commissioner touched on the subject before the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs game on Wednesday. Although he would like to begin checking for HGH in 2014, Stern remarked that nothing has been set in stone.

He explained:

“It’s not a commitment, not a promise. It’s an expectation. It might slide a little bit, but I think we’re well on our way.”

Yahoo! Sports explains that the NBA has been keeping a close eye on how testing procedures are handled in baseball. Once they find a test that is reliable, Stern said the league will begin moving forward with the plan.

The commissioner told WCCO:

“We watch what’s going on in baseball, we watch the negotiations that are going in with football, and it is my expectation that by next season [we] will be doing blood testing for HGH. Our players have been terrific. They lead this in some ways, saying, ‘We do not want to have anything less than the best.’ That’s been the way it’s been since 1983.”

According to the New York Daily News, veteran players seem to mostly agree with Stern’s position on HGH testing. Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Jerry Stackhouse believes the league should be able to check for anything.

He said:

“With the aches and pains I have, test them for whatever. Because if they’ve been playing longer than I have and cheating, then they need to get caught. But other than Gatorade and some glucosamine and chondroitin, that’s about all I’ve taken. But we’re going to do what we can to stay on par with the other leagues.”

Do you agree with NBA commissioner David Stern’s stance on HGH testing?