The Drug Enforcement Administration reportedly investigated Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James in the 2013 Biogenesis investigation.
During the investigation, James was cleared of any activity involving doping.
The Biogenesis investigation, which led to the conviction of self-proclaimed biochemist Tony Bosch and seven colleagues, caused a huge reaction in Major League Baseball.
Stars such as Alex Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz and Ryan Braun have all been implicated in doping scandals. A total of 21 players have been suspended as a result of the investigation.
The Biogenesis scandal happened several years ago, but ESPN recently obtained new information.
“But until now, unknown to the public among the more than 1,400 pages of unredacted federal investigative documents obtained by ESPN were the names of other athletes and figures, from world champion boxers and wrestlers to fitness gurus, entertainers, Even law enforcement officials, ESPN’s Mike Fish wrote: “These officials surfaced in the largest doping investigation in the history of American sports. “
“These include former WWE star Paul ‘The Big Show’ Wight; former boxing champion Shannon Briggs; David Alexander, one of the most famous coaches of famous athletes; and a long-time friend of LeBron James and business manager Ernest “Randy” Mims.”
Despite the connection to James, neither Alexander and Mims were caught distributing performance-enhancing drugs to athletes during the Biogenesis scandal.
“In reporting this story, ESPN was told by federal authorities that they had found no indication that Alexander or Mims, who trained James, provided any PEDs to any athletes,” Fish wrote. “But because both men had ties to James, their involvement in the investigation led investigators to look into whether James might have been involved in any PED-related activity — and they concluded he was not: ‘There was never any indication that LeBron James did something wrong,” said the lead DEA investigator.
“How Mims and Alexander inadvertently included their friends’ names in federal documents is a story almost as crazy as the entire South Florida investigative saga.
“During the height of the federal investigation in May 2013, DEA surveillance details captured the two men meeting with Carlos Acevedo, a known target of the investigation. Acevedo later became a federal agent in A confidential informant in the drug distribution case, he was a former business partner of Bosch who was later convicted for his role. According to the documents, Alexander and Mims were running the business when they were discovered meeting with Acevedo own performance-enhancing drug business, and no longer has any ties to Bosch, the mastermind behind Biogenesis.
James, who was playing for the Miami Heat at the time, had a close relationship with Mims. He is a member of James’ inner circle and has served in multiple business roles for James, including with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lakers.
The investigation revealed that Mims purchased drugs from Acevedo for personal use. He was never charged with any crime and was never interviewed by authorities.
“Mims’ purchases of testosterone, a Schedule III controlled substance, metabolism-boosting injections and blood draws performed by an unlicensed phlebotomist provided by Acevedo are described in federal documents,” Fish wrote. For his personal use.” Acevedo told authorities that Mims paid him $300 for the purchase and became a customer about two months later before complaining that the drugs made him feel bad. Then stop buying.”
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Kevin Stanfill confirmed that Mims-related activities were only for his personal use due to Mims’ weight.
“(He’s) obviously an overweight guy,” Stanfill confirmed to ESPN. “He went to him (Acevedo) and asked about possibly getting some testosterone therapy drugs, which they were giving to a group of overweight guys in Miami who had lost a lot of weight.”
Mims apparently referred to Acevedo through Alexander. Trainers recommended nearly a dozen people to Acevedo, documents show.
“As for Alexander, Acevedo told authorities that the trainer initially paid him for the drugs, but the two later reached an agreement in which Alexander would receive the drugs for free in exchange for referring new clients to Acevedo,” Fish wrote. “Acevedo said Mims was one of the recommenders.”
As for Alexander’s connection to James, it’s known that he worked with Alexander during his time with the Heat and Cavaliers. However, documents reveal Alexander is James’ wife’s personal trainer. Documents also show that James’ wife and Alexander co-owned a cold-pressed juice and smoothie company at the time.
The DEA investigated the connection to see if it was related to James, but they found it was not.
“I can tell you that we investigated everything just because we knew this day was going to come,” Stanfill said. “… She didn’t get any supplements, anything like that. … There was never any indication that LeBron James did anything wrong.”
Until last November, James had no idea he or his wife were part of the Biogenesis probe.
“Until last November when ESPN contacted James, a representative for James said he was unaware that his name, his wife or his colleagues had been mentioned in the Biogenesis investigation,” Fish wrote.
James’ media adviser Adam Mendelson obtained some federal documents related to James and Mims, but the Lakers star was not interviewed. Instead, a spokesperson issued a statement to ESPN after a request to speak with Mims was declined.
“In 2013, Randy Mims worked briefly with David Alexander for personal training and nutrition and received supplements based on Alexander’s advice,” the statement read. “Mr. Mims worked exclusively with Mr. Alexander Working together, a total of three supplements were used. Additionally, Mr. Mims was never contacted by any authorities and was unaware of any information contained in this report, which occurred more than a decade ago.”
ESPN has not received a statement from James or his wife.
For fans of James and the teams he plays for, it can be a relief to see that he was cleared of any wrongdoing during the Biogenesis investigation. Still, it’s crazy that some of James’ connections end up drawing him into the investigation.
As a four-time NBA champion, James is arguably the greatest player in NBA history. He played for the Heat, Cavaliers and Lakers during his career, leading each team to at least one NBA championship.
In the 2022-23 season, James surpassed Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. James is a 19-time All-Star and 19-time All-NBA selection and has reached the NBA Finals for eight consecutive seasons after joining the Heat before the 2010-11 season.
In Miami, he teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to win two championships. After four years with Miami’s Big Three, James returned to Cleveland as a free agent before the 2014-15 season.
Over the next four seasons, he led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals each season, winning the 2016 NBA Finals. In that series, James helped the Cavaliers defeat the Golden State Warriors after trailing 1-3 in the series, and the latter set an NBA record with a regular season record of 73 wins and 9 losses.
James also won a championship with the Lakers, leading the team to the championship in the 2019-20 NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida. Last season, he almost led the Lakers back to the Finals, but the team fell short and lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
James is a truly special athlete who is preparing for the 2023-24 season with the Lakers, which will be his 21st season in the NBA.
What’s amazing is that not only has he been able to stay in the league for so long, but he’s also been able to play at such a high level. The Lakers hope that James can compete for the championship again in the 2023-24 season.