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Basketball star banned after drug test reveals he's pregnant

DJ Cooper is pregnant? Image: AFP
DJ Cooper in action. Image: AFP

American basketball player DJ Cooper has received one of the more astounding suspensions in recent memory.

Cooper stepped away from AS Monaco late in 2018 for “family reasons,” though he attempted to join the Bosnian national team as a naturalised player later that year.

The former Ohio University standout never made it, however, and was instead handed a two-year suspension from FIBA for failing a drug test.

But it wasn’t performance enhancing drugs, recreational drugs or any of the other usual suspects that thwarted Cooper.

His drug test, according to Eurohoops.net, revealed that he was pregnant.

The test on the urine that Cooper provided revealed the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, which is a hormone made by the placenta during pregnancy.

That urine, per the report, actually belonged to his girlfriend — who likely didn’t know she was pregnant at the time.

So, FIBA suspended Cooper for fraud. He’s eligible to return on June 20, 2020.

Cooper’s college stardom

Cooper played for the Bobcats from 2009-2013, starting in nearly every game in his collegiate career while averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per contest.

After going undrafted, the guard took his talents to Europe.

He played two seasons in the Greek League, for both Panathinaikos and AEK Athens, and then three in the French league with three different teams.

He averaged 6.7 points and 7.2 assists over 26 games in his last season with Monaco in 2017-18.

Ryan Young - Yahoo Sports