Kevin Durant – Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty
Kevin Durant reveals the funny story of smoking weed right before a meeting with Adam Silver to advocate removing it from the NBA’s banned substance list.
As an athlete, you are subjected to annoying and unannounced drug testing procedures. Of course, the main cause for the test is to see if anyone is using steroids. However, the test also searches for recreational drugs just like any other job drug test. For decades players have lobbied for Marijuana to be removed from the banned substance list and recently it finally happened. One of the main people advocating for the plant was Kevin Durant. In a recent interview at Game Plan 23, he told a funny story of meeting with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to discuss cannabis right after blazing.
“I actually called him [Silver] and advocated for him to take marijuana off the banned substance list,” he told Andrew Ross Sorkin. “I just felt like it was becoming a thing around the country, around the world… The stigma behind it wasn’t as negative as it was before. It doesn’t affect you in any negative way.” Durant revealed Silver “agreed” with his viewpoint. “I just enjoy the plant, it’s as simple as that,” he added. “Well, he smelled it when I walked in. So I didn’t really have to say much, you know what I’m saying? He kind of understood where this was going…It’s the NBA, man… everybody does it, to be honest. It’s like wine at this point.”
It was a very bold move to meet the commissioner smelling like loud but in the long run, it worked out. In 2021 it was removed from the banned substances list. Marijuana is now treated the same as alcohol and permitted away from the game. Hopefully, everyone stays within the rules so Cannabis doesn’t end up back on the list.
You can watch the interview clip with Durant recalling the meeting with Silver below.
