Bucks Star Hit with Major Suspension: What It Means for Milwaukee

Milwaukee Bucks key player Bobby Portis has been suspended without pay for 25 games after testing positive for Tramadol. This means Portis has violated the league’s anti-drug policy. According to his agent Mark Bartelstein, “Bobby unintentionally took a pain medication called Tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol. Toradol is an approved pain medication that he has used previously and that teams and players use for pain and inflammation at times. Tramadol, however, is not an approved pain medication and was just recently added to the banned substance list this past spring.”

Bartelstein later mentions that Portis will not appeal his suspension. This suspension is a bad situation for the Milwaukee Bucks, who currently stand at 29-24 and fifth place in the Eastern Conference, as they look to make a second-half push heading into the playoffs with the trade deadline and all-star break having passed. Portis is currently one of the NBA’s best sixth men and is averaging 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He has also finished in the top three in voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in each of the past two seasons.

There has been backlash over the length of this suspension. There has also been speculation on the explanation Mark Bartelstein gave on behalf of Bobby Portis. It is important to know that Tramadol and Toradol are both pain relievers. However, Tramadol is an opioid that alters pain signals in the brain, while Toradol is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Toradol is meant for short-term pain while Tramadol is meant for chronic pain. Tramadol also has a moderate addiction risk, and both medications have differing side effects.