Sydney Kings forward Xavier Cooks has received a mandatory provisional suspension following an "Adverse Analytical Finding" and potential violation of the Australian National Anti-Doping Policy, Basketball Australia announced on Tuesday afternoon.
The suspension, effective immediately, means Cooks - a one-time NBL MVP and Australian national team representative - will miss the Kings' play-in game against the Adelaide 36ers on Thursday.
Cooks, 29, missed the Kings' final regular season game on Friday, February 7 for an undisclosed reason. It's understood the Kings were preparing for Cooks to be available for that matchup before he was a late scratch.
"Just respecting his privacy right now," Kings head coach Brian Goorjian said following his team's loss to the Hawks last Friday, when asked about Cooks' absence from the game.
Sydney Kings forward Xavier Cooks has received a provisional suspension (effective immediately) for an "Adverse Analytical Finding and a potential violation of the Australian National Anti-Doping Policy", Basketball Australia says.
— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) February 11, 2025
The matter involving Cooks is progressing in accordance with the Australian National Anti-Doping Policy.
Cooks was the Kings' high-profile addition ahead of the 2024-25 season, signing what ESPN was told was the largest contract in NBL history. It was a return to the Kings for Cooks, who led the franchise to two NBL Championships (2022, 2023) and was the Grand Final MVP in 2022.
Over the course of the 2024-25 regular season, he averaged 15.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-NBL Second Team at the league's awards night on Monday.
Cooks was a member of the Washington Wizards in 2023, before being waived and eventually signing with the Chiba Jets in Japan's B League.