The NBA announced that it is suspending Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy, according to sources that spoke to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Portis’ agent, Priority Sports’ Mark Bartelstein, wrote in a statement that Portis accidentally took “a pain medication called Tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol.” Bartelstein added that this was “an honest mistake” while saying that he and Portis “support the league’s anti-drug policy.”
Toradol is an approved substance in the eyes of the NBA while Tramadol is not an approved substance.
“Bobby Portis is absolutely not a drug abuser,” Bartelstein wrote. “Today, in this instance, I am so deeply disappointed that the NBA chooses to interpret its policy so strictly, and that the policy does not allow for a different result for an honest mistake with pure intentions.”
Bartelstein concluded his statement by saying that Portis “will accept this penantly with grace.”
Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports to ESPN on client Bobby Portis’ 25-game suspension, detailing what took place: https://t.co/sB9vmPVYxA pic.twitter.com/tVvbotBJlt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025
A former Sixth Man of the Year Award finalist, Portis has been a valuable member of the Milwaukee Bucks ever since he signed with the team in 2020. Portis is Milwaukee’s fourth-best scorer this season with 13.7 points per game. He is also the team’s third-best rebounder (8.3 boards per game).
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Bad timing for Portis and the Bucks
It’s not like Milwaukee was riding high before this suspension. Coming out of the 2025 NBA All-Star break, the Bucks are positioned as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with a 29-24 record. They’re currently on pace to finish the season 45-37, which would be a four-game drop-off compared to last year.
After having an up-and-down year, Portis finally appeared to be hitting his stride in February right before the All-Star break. In the five games he has played this month, Portis averaged 16.4 points and 11.6 rebounds, both single-month highs for his 2024-25 campaign. This suspension will almost certainly throw off Portis’ rhythm and lead to rustiness once he is eligible to return to the court.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/8Vo8uCavzF
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 20, 2025
With the suspension taking effect today, Bobby Portis will not be allowed to play again until the Bucks’ April 8th game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That is less than ideal considering the NBA’s regular season is scheduled to end less than a week later on April 13th, 2025.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo still nursing a calf injury, the Bucks may have to face their next few opponents without two of their top-four scorers. This causes me to believe that Milwaukee will struggle to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race, meaning they could end up being a play-in team rather than one of the top six seeds in the East.
This puts extra pressure on Giannis
Antetokounmpo has not played since February 2nd due to a calf strain. The injury was so bad, it forced the two-time MVP to completely miss the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. With Bobby Portis out 25 of the Bucks’ remaining 29 games, I believe that Giannis will push himself to return to action before he feels 100% healthy.
Prior to Bobby Portis’ suspension, I expected Milwaukee to slow-play Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return for two reasons. First, Giannis is clearly the Bucks’ best player, and it is more important to have him healthy for the playoffs than to rush him back for some forgettable February games. Second, Portis traditionally plays at the power forward position, so he can fill in as a serviceable replacement for Antetokounmpo following the recent addition of small forward Kyle Kuzma.
Now that Portis has been suspended, Milwaukee needs to quickly pivot and adjust its plans. That change will probably lead to Giannis returning to the court before he is fully healthy because the Bucks don’t have enough depth at the four-spot to put together many wins. That was already the case before Portis’ suspension, and it is even truer now.
If Giannis comes back too soon and sustains a long-term injury that hurts his chances to participate in the playoffs, then the Bobby Portis suspension will be looked at as the turning point of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2024-25 season.
