Jeff Teague Sparks Outrage With Steroid Claim About LeBron’s Time On The Miami Heat
Synopsis
Jeff Teague casually accused LeBron James of using steroids during his Miami Heat days. But does the timeline even make sense? Here’s what really happened, and why fans are divided.
Jeff Teague didn’t hold back during his recent appearance on Club 520. While speaking on the podcast, the former NBA guard threw out a serious accusation about one of the league’s greatest players, LeBron James. According to Teague, LeBron was “on steroids” during his Miami Heat stint and took time off once HGH testing started.
He said, “Miami Heat Bron, he was on steroids, bro. They started testing for HGH, and he had to sit out. He said his back was hurting, and he sat out 3 weeks, then came back skinny.”
The claim instantly blew up. It spread across social media like wildfire. But it didn’t take long for holes to start forming in the theory, both from the timeline and LeBron’s own career record.
For starters, there’s the question of when HGH testing actually started in the NBA. The league officially implemented it in the 2015–16 season, two full years after LeBron had left Miami and rejoined the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The timing simply doesn’t match. LeBron’s Heat run ended with the 2013–14 campaign, where he played 77 of 82 games. There’s no documented three-week injury break that season, certainly not one that lines up with Teague’s story.
So, if Teague wasn’t referring to that Miami stretch, what was he talking about? Most point to LeBron’s 2014–15 return to Cleveland, when he missed eight games in January. That time away raised eyebrows even back then, especially after LeBron came back looking noticeably leaner. He cited back and knee issues at the time and reportedly received anti-inflammatory shots to help him recover.
Teague later clarified on Instagram that the steroid comment was just a “joke,” but many fans didn’t take it lightly. Whether he meant it or not, accusing a player of drug use, especially someone with LeBron’s reputation, is never going to go unnoticed.
Critics were quick to call out the sloppiness of the accusation. Teague and LeBron were never teammates. Teague wasn’t in the Miami locker room, didn’t travel with the team, and has no direct knowledge of LeBron’s personal training methods. Yet, with just a few words, he added fuel to a rumor mill.
LeBron has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. In 21 seasons, across hundreds of random and scheduled tests, no violations. No suspensions. No failed screenings. That fact, on its own, should carry weight.
There’s also the human side. LeBron James is a global icon. Accusations, joking or not, carry real consequences. Millions of young athletes look up to him. And when a former player, even jokingly, claims steroid use, it doesn’t just stay as a mere talk. It gets picked up, circulated, and amplified.