Noah fails dope test

NEW YORK (AFP) – New York Knicks center Joakim Noah, the son of French tennis legend Yannick Noah, was suspended 20 games without pay by the NBA on Saturday after failing a doping test.

Noah, who has not played since undergoing left knee surgery last month, tested positive for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator LGD-4033, a substance intended to produce effects similar to those of anabolic steroids, the league announced.

Noah’s ban will begin with the first NBA regular-season or playoff game for which he is eligible and physically able to play, which means he figures to miss the start of next season.

At 27-45, the Knicks are all-but eliminated from the playoff hunt, sharing 12th in the NBA’s Eastern Conference and trailing Miami by eight games for the final playoff berth.

Noah tested positive for an over-the-counter supplement banned under the current league bargaining agreement with the players union, but under rules of the league-union deal starting in July, unintentional ingestion claims would be considered and a union statement said it did not think under those future terms Noah would have faced any punishment.