MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis has been suspended for 25 games for taking a banned substance, the NBA announced on Thursday. Portis tested positive for a painkiller called Tramadol, and will begin his suspension on Thursday when the Bucks host the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I want to make something clear,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Bobby’s not a drug user. I hate that it just says you flunked the drug policy and so when people read that, the first place they go is the wrong place. This was as big of a mistake as can be made, like it’s a mistake. So it bothers me on a lot of levels.”

Portis, who will be eligible to return on April 8 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, just four games before the end of the regular season, is the first notable NBA player to be suspended for taking a banned substance since Tristan Thompson in January 2024. Thompson was also suspended for 25 games.

Portis said that the positive test was the result of a medication mix-up, explained by his agent, Mark Bartelstein.

“I am devastated for Bobby right now because he made an honest mistake and the ramifications of it are incredibly significant. Bobby unintentionally took a pain medication called Tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol.”