Tracy McGrady Implies LeBron James Could Be On PEDs Or Steroids: “That’ll Be Devastating To Our Sport”

Prateek Singh | 04/04/2025
Tracy McGrady (L), LeBron James (R)

LeBron James’ remarkable longevity continues to be one of the most talked-about feats in the history of sports. At 40, he is one of the best players in the league while competing against those nearly half his age. LeBron’s career trajectory has been unlike any other great of the game in terms of longevity. But other than widespread admiration, it also makes some people question his method.

LeBron has been fighting off PED allegations for a long time. The allegations got more momentum when UFC legend Chael Sonnen spoke about it on the Flagrant podcast two years ago.

Sonnen claimed that he knows exactly the kind of drugs LBJ uses for performance enhancement. He is no stranger to drug use himself, having failed multiple drug tests in his UFC days. Sonnen said, “We have the same drug guy, I know exactly what he’s doing…. EPO matters, it’s the reason LeBron takes it, it matters. EPO increases your red blood cells, which gives you endurance so you can play all game long.”

Even though this claim sparked a lot of discussions, people didn’t believe Sonnen because he has a long history of making outrageous comments.

However, recently, a more dependable voice raised concerns. During a podcast appearance, Tracy McGrady said, “It is the greatest thing my eyes have seen in sports for a 40-year-old guy to do what he’s doing, at that level and to do that consistently…I don’t know how he’s doing it, I hope it’s the right way.”

Although McGrady didn’t explicitly mention PED use, it’s understandable what he meant by “the right way.” In reality, there are only allegations against LeBron, as he has never failed an NBA drug test.

LeBron James takes care of his body

There have been a few athletes in the NBA who have played in their 40s. However, they weren’t nearly as dominant as LeBron at this age. As per LeBron, the secret to his longevity is pretty obvious: he just knows how to take care of his body.

LBJ invests a lot in his recovery and conditioning. With a proper team dedicated to keeping his body in shape, he has been able to play for over two decades.

There have been some positive rumors about the 40-year-old as well. One of those rumors was that LeBron spends over a million dollars on his body annually. Looking at his shape and fitness at this age, it was easy to believe that the rumors might be true.

However, during his appearance on Pat McAfee’s show, he laughed it off.

LeBron said, “I don’t know where the hell that sh*t came from…I don’t know where that came from, but I do take care of my body, but I have no idea where the amount of money came from.”

Although it’s not a million dollars per year, the annual expense must be a big number considering his willingness and ability to do everything in his power to stay in great shape.

Post Edited By: Sameen Nawathe
LeBron James Tracy McGrady

About the author

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Prateek Singh

Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

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