Charles Barkley cast serious doubt on Paul George’s explanation for his recent 25-game NBA suspension, calling the story contradictory and “fishy.” On ESPN’s “NBA Tip-Off,” the Hall of Famer and his colleagues on the Inside the NBA crew questioned.
George’s suspension, announced on Saturday, January 31, was for violating the league’s Anti-Drug Program. In a statement released through ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Philadelphia 76ers star linked.
The Core Contradiction: “An Oxymoron”
Barkley and fellow analyst Kenny Smith found George’s reasoning fundamentally flawed, leading them to suspect there’s more to the story.
“It’s something fishy going on here,” Barkley stated bluntly. He emphasized he doesn’t “joke around about mental health,” but argued that if a player genuinely needs a substance for a medical condition.
Smith framed the issue as a contradiction: “If this is the accurate scene of what happened, isn’t this an oxymoron? Like a contradictory of terms.
The “Therapeutic Use Exception” (TUE) Loophole
The analysts were referencing the NBA’s provision for a Therapeutic Use Exception (TUE), a common clause in professional sports drug policies. A TUE allows an athlete to use a banned substance if they can prove it is medically necessary to treat a diagnosed condition, provided there are no reasonable alternatives.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement has a specific process for this. Before a player is prescribed any substance, the league’s Medical Director must notify the player’s team physician.
George’s Statement and the Lingering Questions
George’s public statement was a model of accountability on the surface. He took “full responsibility” for his actions and apologized to the Sixers organization, teammates, and fans for his “poor decision making.”
Barkley implied the answers to these questions would reveal the full story, which he believes George has not told. “The apology was good,” Barkley said, “but he did not tell the real story.”
