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The Biogenesis Scandal of 2013 returned to international scrutiny on Wednesday but for non-baseball reasons, as NBA superstar LeBron James was among the names that came up in a recent discovery.
However, James' fans need not fret as he would not be dragged directly into the scandal despite the alleged involvement of two of his friends.
James' former trainer David Alexander and his longtime business manager Randy Mims were among those who were investigated during the probe that rocked not just the MLB but the entire sporting world, as revealed in a huge stack of documents obtained by ESPN's Mike Fish.
Despite their connections with James, who was still playing with the Miami Heat at the time of the Biogenesis Scandal, the legendary player was eventually cleared of any accusation.
The lead investigator, assigned by the US Drug Enforcement Administration for the scandal, told Fish:
"There was never any indication that LeBron James did anything wrong."
LeBron James' friend's alleged roles in Biogenesis Scandal
Both Alexander and Mims were linked to Carlos Acevedo, one of the people being probed heavily during the height of the scandal but would become a "confidential informant for federal agents," as Fish described.
According to Acevedo, Mims paid him $300 per purchase of testosterone and metabolism-boosting injections for personal use as he underwent a blood draw conducted by an unlicensed phlebotomist.
Just two months later, though, Mims stopped buying from Acevedo after feeling some side effects.
Meanwhile, Acevedo said that he agreed on a deal with Alexander in which the latter could obtain drugs for free in exchange for referring new clients to the former.
David Alexander, however, was revealed to be more connected to LeBron James' wife Savannah as Alexander was listed as her personal trainer and co-owner of a cold-pressed juice and smoothie business.
Biogenesis Scandal revisited
The Biogenesis Scandal is believed to be the biggest doping scandal in American sports history.
Tagged as "Operation Strikeout" by DEA agents due to the huge involvement of MLB players, the said baseballers were accused of using performance-enhancing drugs purchased from the Biogenesis of America, owned by Tony Bosch.
Porter Fischer, a former employee at Biogenesis, had revealed that the said clinic, which was supposed to be operating for weight loss and hormone replacement therapy, was in fact selling PEDs out of frustration regarding unpaid salaries.
The probe led to lengthy suspensions of 13 MLB players and put a major taint on the stellar career of Alex Rodriguez, who missed much of the 2014 season.
Aside from LeBron James, the non-baseball athletes dragged directly or indirectly in the Biogenesis Scandal probe include pro wrestler Paul Wight and boxer Shannon Briggs.
