This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
On June 24, 2020, Donell 'DJ' Cooper will be allowed to return to the basketball court after serving a two-year ban imposed by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
The 28-year-old point guard was suspended in June 2018 for two years after a routine drug test revealed high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone produced by the female placenta during pregnancy.
According to FIBA, Cooper's urine sample contained hCG, leading the organization to assume that he had submitted a woman's urine as his own, without knowing she was pregnant at the time.
However, Slovenian media claims that Cooper submitted his girlfriend's urine as his own, with neither of them knowing she was pregnant.
Cooper, who last played for AS Monaco in Europe, had announced in September 2017 that he was leaving the club due to family reasons.
It is now believed that the true reason for his departure was the recent revelation of his pregnancy, which would have made it difficult for him to continue playing competitively.
Cooper had been trying to get a spot on the national basketball team of Bosnia, for which he had applied for citizenship in 2014.
