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The NBA has suspended plenty of players. Most have eventually been reinstated. However, some never made it back to the NBA and are permanently banned.
Previous NBA Commissioner Davis Stern was never afraid to suspend players. He ruled with an iron fist and was very strict with bans and suspensions. He was especially punitive when dealing with players who violated the league’s substance abuse policy.
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Let’s take a look at five players who are permanently banned. Why were they punished by the league? Find out below.
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No. 5 - Eddie Johnson
Johnson struggled with cocaine abuse. He tested positive multiple times. He was banned from the league when he failed to complete mandatory drug counseling after his positive tests.
Johnson was suspended multiple times during his 10-year career. He was with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1986 when he was banned. Johnson was a two-time NBA All Star.
No. 4 - Chris Washburn
Washburn played for two teams in 1989. He was banned permanently from the league after three positive drug tests. He never played in the NBA again.
No. 3 - Roy Tarpley
Much like most of the players on this list, Tarpley was banned for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He violated it more than once. He rejoined the league after a two-year ban but was then banned yet again after a year for consuming alcohol.
No. 2 - Richard Dumas
Dumas was suspended indefinitely for testing positive for a banned substance. He then failed to participate in a substance abuse program organized by the league.
He was reinstated in two years but was then permanently banned after violating a clause in his contract for consuming alcohol.
No. 1 - O.J. Mayo
Mayo was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft. He had an up and down career, never quite living up to the hype.
He was banned from the league in 2016 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He was caught using marijuana and abusing painkillers. He was eligible to apply for reinstatement in 2018 but never did and never returned to the league.
He later played overseas in Puerto Rico, Taiwan, China, Russia and Egypt, and currently plays professionally in Saudi Arabia.
