The NBA will begin testing for HGH next season

In an anticipated move, the National Basketball Association announced Thursday that it would begin testing players for human growth hormone before the 2015-2016 season. The testing is part of the league's wider anti-drug program.

The introduction of HGH testing to professional basketball was discussed back in 2011 as part of that year's collective bargaining negotiations between the league and the National Basketball Players' Association. The process for testing will be as follows, as per the NBA's official release: "[A]ll NBA players will be subject to three random, unannounced HGH tests annually (two in-season, one off-season), and players will also be subject to reasonable cause testing for HGH."

The HGH testing will be the first time the NBA has employed blood tests. A first infraction will result in a 20-game suspension, a second positive test will yield a 45-game suspension, and a third violation will result in dismissal from the league. The MLB began in-season HGH testing in 2013, while the NFL began such testing last October.

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