Sydney Kings standout Xavier Cooks has been handed a provisional suspension following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, casting a significant shadow over the NBL franchise just two days before the commencement of its finals series.
Basketball Australia announced that Sport Integrity Australia informed Cooks of an adverse analytical finding, indicating a potential breach of Australia’s national anti-doping regulations.
The suspension is effective immediately, ruling the power forward out of the Kings’ upcoming finals match against the Adelaide 36ers in Sydney on Thursday night.
Wide World of Sports reached out to SIA for a statement, but the agency chose not to provide any comment.
Cooks was named the grand final MVP in 2022 and took home the league MVP title in 2023, playing an instrumental role in the Kings’ back-to-back NBL championships.
The 29-year-old currently ranks second in the league for blocks this season, averaging 1.29 per game, and fourth in rebounds with 8.71.
He also boasts the second-highest points per game for the Kings this season, averaging 15.4, narrowly behind Jaylen Adams.
Cooks came very close to representing the Boomers at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, having been included in the preliminary squad for each, but ultimately missing out on the final selection.
Xavier Cooks of the Sydney Kings. Getty
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