Does LeBron Really Smoke Weed? A Closer Look at NBA's Cannabis Pivot

During a recent Lakers-Rockets matchup, LeBron James performed a lighthearted pantomime of smoking an imaginary joint after a missed layup—and even appeared to pass it to teammate Christian Wood. While the gesture was clearly theatrical, it sparked much more than just laughter on social media. For many observers, it symbolized something far more significant: the NBA’s remarkable transformation into an industry that no longer treats weed as a taboo subject.

This moment gains its full meaning only when understood against the backdrop of the NBA’s historic policy shift. Just months earlier, the league had struck a landmark agreement with the National Basketball Players Association to halt all testing for cannabis and eliminate penalties for its use. The timing was telling—this change arrived after similar moves by other major sports leagues including the NFL, NHL, and Major League Baseball. The message was clear: American professional sports were finally catching up to broader cultural shifts happening across the nation.

When The NBA Changed Its Stance On Weed: Understanding The New Policy Reality

The policy reversal represents a seismic shift in how professional athletics treats marijuana. For decades, weed use carried severe consequences for athletes at the highest levels. Testing remained mandatory, and violations could destroy careers. The NBA’s decision to end this practice signals that the league has fundamentally reassessed what it considers problematic behavior versus personal choice.

This isn’t happening in a vacuum. States like Ohio—LeBron’s home state—have legalized recreational cannabis, reflecting nationwide momentum. When state laws change, federal policy questions become harder to defend. The NBA essentially acknowledged that policing personal marijuana use had become inconsistent with modern attitudes and legal realities. The Players Association had been pushing for exactly this outcome, and finally, ownership and management agreed.

From Suspension To Celebration: How Smoking Weed Became Acceptable In Pro Sports

To grasp how radical this shift truly is, consider the historical precedent. Allen Iverson faced enormous backlash for marijuana use. Ricky Williams saw his NFL career derailed. These athletes were treated as cautionary tales and received minimal support from their respective leagues. For years, professional sports maintained a zero-tolerance posture that seemed permanent.

LeBron’s casual weed-smoking gesture during that Sunday game—in which he scored 37 points—went completely unmentioned by the league office. Just five years ago, such a moment might have triggered investigations, fines, or suspensions. The absence of official response is itself the response: it demonstrates how thoroughly attitudes have transformed.

Journalist Jesse Washington of Andscape captured the deeper significance, describing it as a “cultural moment” representing a changing of the guard in America. The weed itself was imaginary, but the statement was entirely real. What the gesture revealed was that professional basketball no longer views marijuana use as a moral failing or a disciplinary matter.

Former NBA Stars Leading The Cannabis Industry Renaissance

The normalization of weed in basketball has opened doors for retired players to become entrepreneurs in the cannabis space. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Durant, Al Harrington, Isiah Thomas, and numerous other Hall of Famers have been forthright advocates for cannabis legalization for years. More significantly, they’ve moved beyond mere advocacy into active business involvement.

Allen Iverson, a prime example of this evolution, has become something of a weed connoisseur. He’s leveraged his brand by partnering with Al Harrington’s Viola Brands to launch The Iverson Collection—a line of cannabis products and branded merchandise. This partnership wouldn’t have been conceivable in earlier eras of professional basketball.

The commitment extends beyond individual entrepreneurs. In fall 2022, prominent figures including Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, Ben Wallace, Ricky Williams, and Rob Sims attended the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago, underscoring the growing legitimacy of cannabis as a business sector within sports culture. These gatherings bring together athletes, investors, and industry professionals in ways that would have seemed impossible just a decade ago.

What LeBron’s Gesture Really Means For Sports Culture

Here’s the critical question: Does LeBron James actually smoke weed regularly, or was his gesture purely comedic? The answer may matter less than what the moment represents. LeBron is famously devoted to his physical conditioning and is known more for his wine appreciation than for marijuana advocacy. His weed-smoking pantomime wasn’t necessarily a personal endorsement but rather a reflection of how normalized the topic has become—something athletes can now reference without fear of consequences.

This normalization extends across generational and competitive lines. Where previous eras saw athletes punished for even acknowledging cannabis, today’s players can make casual references to it within the context of entertainment and team camaraderie. The shift isn’t about whether individual athletes choose to use weed; it’s about the removal of shame, secrecy, and institutional punishment.

The transformation also reflects broader American society. As recreational cannabis becomes legal in more states and as public opinion continues to liberalize, professional sports organizations have recognized that maintaining prohibition-era policies became increasingly untenable. LeBron’s gesture on the court, however playful and imaginary, served as a visible marker of this transition. The NBA’s silence in response was deafening precisely because it represented acceptance.