UFC star Chael Sonnen accuses LeBron James of using doping / News - Basketnews.com

Ex-UFC fighter Chael Sonnen says that LeBron James uses EPO to improve his endurance and play all game long. Sonnen also claims LeBron and him have the same "drug guy".

Credit: AFP – Scanpix Credit AFP – Scanpix

Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has claimed that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James uses illegal substances to boost his basketball performance.

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As self-confessed Sonnen says, he and LeBron even have the same "drug guy", who provides performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) for his clients.

"Other basketball players will hear about what LeBron does and go, 'That doesn't matter.' If you knew what these performance enhancers did, you'd know it does matter," Sonnen said in a recent episode of the Flagrant podcast.

"We have the same drug guy, I know exactly what he's doing," Sonnen declared. "EPO [Erythropoietin] matters, it's the reason LeBron takes it. It matters. EPO increases your red blood cells, which gives you the endurance to play all game long. It's the king of performance enhancers. EPO is king to everything. That's why cyclists do it."

EPO is a hormone naturally produced by human kidneys to stimulate red blood cell production, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency. Cyclists and other athletes use EPO to raise their red blood cell counts, which increases the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to muscles, improving recovery and endurance.

LeBron James, 38, plays in his 20th NBA season and averages 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 47 games (36.1 minutes).

A month ago, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and became the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

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