US basketball player Troy Akeem Gillenwater of Guangdong Southern Tigers (second from right) in action during a CBA game on April 19, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) announced on Monday that US basketball player Troy Akeem Gillenwater of Guangdong Southern Tigers has been suspended for three months after testing positive for a cannabinoid substance during in-competition testing. 

According to the notice sent to the Guangdong team, the A sample collected on April 16 during the 2024-25 CBA season in-game doping check by the General Administration of Sport's anti-doping center tested positive for a metabolite of cannabis, a banned substance. 

Gillenwater chose to forgo B-sample testing, thereby confirming the positive result. 

The CBA said that, while he did provide explanatory statements and evidence, he was able to show that the substance ingestion occurred out of competition and was unrelated to athletic performance. 

After being notified, the player acknowledged the anti-doping violation and signed the required results management receipt within the allotted timeframe, the CBA said in the statement. 

"In line with the General Administration of Sport's Anti-Doping Rules, the CBA imposed a suspension from October 13, 2025 up to (and including) January 12, 2026," the announcement reads.

"In addition to the player sanction, the Guangdong club was issued a warning, required to shoulder 20 doping test fees, and the club's medical & anti-doping officer / team doctor Lin Zhida was given a warning." 

The announcement also noted that a parallel case involving another US basketball player Montrezl Harrell of the Xinjiang Flying Tigers is still under review. 

Harrell also tested positive for the same substance, in his case on April 15, and similarly abandoned B sample testing. However, his disciplinary decision is still pending as the evidentiary review continues. 

In the 2024-25 CBA regular season, Gillenwater averaged 29.9 minutes per game, putting up 25.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. 

The CBA emphasized its zero-tolerance stance on doping, stating in prior public remarks that once China's anti-doping agency (CHINADA) makes its final determinations, the CBA will enforce penalties strictly under anti-doping and relevant league regulations.