Kings captain Cooks receives second drug ban

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Sydney Kings championship captain Xavier Cooks has been handed a drug ban for the second time in less than two years after testing positive for THC, just months after leading the NBL franchise to the 2025-26 title.

The Kings released a statement saying "in accordance with the Australian National Anti-doping Policy 2021, Xavier Cooks was issued with a one-month period of ineligibility by Basketball Australia which concluded on 4 July 2026," the statement read.

"This was issued as a result of an in-competition doping control test and the metabolite of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was detected."

Cooks served the ban from June 4 to July 4. Fox Sports reported the sample was collected following the Kings' 91-89 Championship Series Game 2 loss to the Adelaide 36ers on March 27.

As the three-time NBL championship star has already served his one-month ban, he won't miss any games for the Kings and has resumed pre-season training.

The ban has provoked a fierce rebuke from former Adelaide 36ers star Montrezl Harrell.

However, it is the second time the 30-year-old has received an anti-doping ban after serving a suspension, which ended on March 7, 2025 and forced him to miss a play-in game that the Kings lost to the Adelaide 36ers and ended their 2024-25 season.

"I want to sincerely apologise to my teammates, our fans, the club, and everyone who has supported me. I take full responsibility for my actions and understand the disappointment and frustration this has caused," Cooks said in the Kings' statement.

"I am grateful to Hoops Capital for the support they have continued to provide me throughout this process."

Hoops Capital CEO Mark Thompson said: "We acknowledge and respect the outcome of the Basketball Australia and Sport Integrity Australia process.

"We hold ourselves to strong professional standards.

"When those standards are not met, we respond appropriately and work to ensure our people receive the support, education and guidance they need, not only through the successes but also the challenges that come with professional sport.

"Xavier has completed his period of ineligibility and is back on court with his teammates as pre-season commences.

"Our focus is now on supporting him and the team as we prepare for the upcoming season."

Why the ban was only one month

Cannabis is not treated like a performance-enhancing drug.

Under Article 4.2.3 of the Australian National Anti-Doping Policy it is a Substance of Abuse, a prohibited substance that is, in the policy's words, "frequently abused in society outside of the context of sport". It is banned in competition only.

Article 10.2.4.1 sets a three-month ban where an athlete establishes the substance was taken out of competition and was unrelated to sport performance. That period "may be reduced to one (1) month if the Athlete or Other Person satisfactorily completes a Substance of Abuse treatment program approved by SIA".

One month is the shortest sanction the Code allows. It is not a discretionary act of leniency. Reaching it requires an athlete to establish three separate things: that the use happened away from competition, that it had nothing to do with performance, and that they have completed a treatment programme approved by the regulator.

That leaves an obvious question. A second anti-doping violation normally carries six months at minimum under Article 10.9.1.1.

The answer is in Article 10.9.2, which says a violation sanctioned under the Substance of Abuse article "shall not be considered a violation for purposes of Article 10.9". A Substance of Abuse case does not count as a prior offence, so a second one is calculated as though it stands alone.

The distinction that does the most work here is the simplest. An in-competition test is not the same as in-competition use. THC metabolites stay detectable for weeks, which is exactly why the Code prices the two situations differently.

Who actually issues these bans

The NBL has no drug policy of its own. Its integrity page points to Basketball Australia, whose National Integrity Framework applies to "all competitions and events conducted under the auspices of Basketball Australia or a member state/territory association, including the National Basketball League".

Sport Integrity Australia runs the testing and results process. Basketball Australia adopted Sport Integrity Australia's Australian National Anti-Doping Policy as the sport's own anti-doping policy in 2021, and announces sanctions in Australian basketball.

Cooks and the Kings start their title defence against the Cairns Taipans on September 20 at Qudos Bank Arena, while the NBL Blitz pre-season tournament is in Bendigo from September 2-6 at Red Energy Arena.