Chauncey Billups, a 5-time NBA All-Star, former NBA champion and 17-year veteran point guard, is widely known as being one of the smartest players in league history.
His ability to pick apart opposing defenses on a nightly basis is well documented, especially during his time with the Pistons. Billups is a well-respected figure in NBA circles, and a figure several younger players in today’s association aspire to become.
Billups, 40, recently appeared on The NBA Countdown to discuss the latest around the league, and surprisingly released a very intense opinion on a sensitive subject first brought up by Phil Jackson: The NBA potentially allowing its players to use marijuana down the road.
“I think it’s a great conversation. I think Phil Jackson had some very nice things to say about that”, Billups said in the video. “For medicinal use, we absolutely need to have that conversation. The Players Association needs to talk about that with the NBA.
“There’s a lot of science behind it — We’ve been through a lot of injuries. I’ve seen a piece on Jason Williams, who was the No. 2 pick from Duke, being addicted to Oxycontin and pain pills. It would’ve been a much better and a much easier thing to just have Marijuana as a relief.”
In the video, Billups went on to explain how there were times that he preferred having his teammates smoke before games, which he did have, because it calmed them down and helped them better focus on the game.
“If that (medical marijuana) is something that can help out with your organization and your players, that’s a discussion that needs to happen,” said Billups. “I mean, I honestly played with players — I’m not going to name names — But, I wanted them to actually smoke. They played better like that.”
Chauncey Billups raises a great point about the ongoing marijuana debate in the NBA. Younger players in today’s league, especially those who prefer to smoke, will naturally side with Billups.
Whether the league considers making such a significant change has yet to be seen, but there remains a hope in the minds of fans, and even some players, that a change in the rule comes down the road.
