Basketball player Donell Cooper has been suspended for fraud

To optimise for archiving, the original image and related documents associated with this article have been removed.

Pro Basketball player Donell ‘D.J’ Cooper has been suspended by FIBA after a failed drug test revealed he was pregnant.

Cooper had been playing in Europe where he had allegedly left club AS Monaco in 2018 because  of ‘family reasons.’  However, it was revealed that Cooper, whilst trying to join the Bosnian national team as a naturalised player, had undertaken a urine test and failed.

Officials were shocked to find that the sample provided contained the hormone - human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) which is a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy. It had been reported that the sample belonged to his girlfriend who was likely unaware she was pregnant.

The international basketball federation, FIBA, consequently suspended Cooper for fraud. He will be eligible to return to the game in June 2020.

You may also like

View All

Pinned Article

Sport Resolutions Annual Conference 2026: Early Bird Tickets Now on Sale

Early Bird tickets for the Sport Resolutions 11th Annual Conference are now available. Join leading sport and legal professionals in London on 7 May 2026 for a full day of discussion, insight, and networking

Read More

Two separate surveys reveal serious sexual safety risks for women in UK sport and high bullying rates among female coaches

Two recent surveys highlight ongoing risks for women in UK sport. In elite sport, 88% of respondents reported experiencing sexual misconduct, with women with disabilities disproportionately affected. Among coaches, women face higher rates of bullying, harassment, and aggression than men, particularly in high-performance settings

Read More

Morocco to take legal action following the Africa Cup of Nations final

Morocco will take legal action following the Africa Cup of Nations final on 18 January in Rabat, Morocco, where opponents Senegal left the pitch to protest a penalty awarded against them following a VAR review, but then returned to win the match 1-0 during extra time

Read More