A former NBA champion and All-Star is levying a pretty serious accusation against LeBron James from his time with the Miami Heat.
In a recent radio show appearance, former NBA point guard Jeff Teague asserted that LeBron took steroids while he was a part of the Miami Heat. Though he covered his legal bases by repeatedly saying “allegedly,” he claimed that LeBron used human growth hormone (HGH) and sat out for a while when the NBA found out. Teague remarked that LeBron “came back skinny” after sitting out for three weeks at one point.
“They started testing for HGH and he had to sit out. He said his back was hurting and he sat out for 3 weeks then came back skinny.”
Jeff Teague says LeBron James used steroids while being on the Heat
“They started testing for HGH and he had to sit out. He said his back was hurting and he sat out for 3 weeks then came back skinny.”
(Via @club520podcast, h/t @JesseGladsaget)
pic.twitter.com/8Sd5bgwaXr— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) July 23, 2025
While plenty of people on social media were more than happy to take Teague at his word if it means knocking LeBron down a peg or two, most seem to believe this is just a case of Teague being jealous:
“Teague need to stop hating on LeGreatest, all that slander bc he never won a playoff game vs the Goat,” one user remarked.
“He’s had the same type of frame and athleticism for 25+ years. He’s outlasted the steroid allegations,” wrote another.
“Jeff Teague should retract that ASAP. Lying for no reason,” a third wrote.
“You can lose muscle mass from inactivity tho, sitting out 3 weeks can do that,” another pointed out.
More to the point, there are a couple of other issues with Teague’s allegation.
For one, how would Teague know? He was never teammates with LeBron, so at best his information would’ve been secondhand or third-hand from people who might have insight.
For two, the “skinny” situation happened when LeBron was with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Teague already seems to have his wires crossed on the story.
For three, how on earth could a sports league keep a revelation like that quiet for a month, let alone a decade? The NBA can’t even hide where players are going in free agency or the NBA Draft. Are we supposed to believe they can hide positive steroid tests from the most popular player of the last 20 years without anyone leaking that info to the press?
If Teague isn’t lying, someone probably lied to him.
Though this isn’t the first time that LeBron has been accused of taking steroids by a former NBA star…
Related: Kevin Garnett Hints at LeBron James Using Steroids in Podcast