Image: via Instagram @xaviercooks
Sydney Kings forward Xavier Cooks has been provisionally suspended following a positive cocaine test, which carries a potential four-year penalty.
On the eve of the National Basketball League (NBL) finals, the star player was stood down for a possible anti-doping violation. The Kings were forced to prepare for their sudden-death game against the Adelaide 36ers on Thursday night at Qudos Bank Arena without their key player.
Cooks was awarded the Andrew Gaze Trophy as the MVP of the 2022/23 NBL season and was later named to the All-NBL Second Team for the 2024–25 season.
Basketball Australia released a statement on Tuesday stating, “A mandatory provisional suspension (effective immediately) has been imposed on Sydney Kings player Xavier Cooks following notification to him by Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) of an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) and a potential violation of the Australian National Anti-Doping Policy (ANADP).”
“The matter is now progressing in accordance with the ANADP. No further comment will be made by the athlete, NBL, Sydney or BA and we request the privacy of all parties involved be respected.”
Recreational Use of Cocaine Claims
According to sources from the Sydney Morning Herald, Cooks recorded a positive reading for a metabolite of cocaine and is seeking to have the matter addressed urgently, claiming it was a case of recreational use outside of the competition.
If it is confirmed that the substance was used recreationally and not for performance-enhancing purposes, the ban could be shortened to just one month.
According to Sport Integrity Australia, athletes can face a ban of up to 4 years if a “Substance of Abuse, such as cocaine, was deemed to be used in-competition.”
However, as of January 2021, if an athlete tests positive to a ‘Substance of Abuse’, then the “Athlete’s period of Ineligibility may be reduced to three months if the Athlete is able to prove that the substance was ingested or Used Out-of-Competition and was unrelated to sport performance.”
The ban could be further reduced to one month if the athlete completes a Substance of Abuse treatment plan that is approved by the responsible Anti-Doping Organisation.
The treatment plan adopted by Sport Integrity Australia includes the athlete being seen by a medical practitioner and the athlete completing a specific education program approved by Sport Integrity Australia.
The 29-year-old has played for the Sydney Kings, the Golden State Warriors, the Phoenix Suns, the Wellington Saints, s.Oliver Würzburg, and the Chiba Jets Funabashi.
Cooks has played 108 games in his NBL career and his current contract with the Kings is a three-year-deal set to run through 2027.
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