Former Ohio University basketball star DJ Cooper won't be competing in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in September, after he tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is produced during pregnancy by the placenta.
Cooper, 28, was hoping to join Bosnia's team as a naturalized player, but FIBA has now suspended him for fraud, making him ineligible to compete until June 20, 2020. According to RTV Slovenia, the urine Cooper used to beat the drug test belonged to his girlfriend - who was likely unaware that she was pregnant at the time.
Cooper played at Ohio University from 2009-2013 and has spent much of his professional basketball career overseas.
Since making it to the Washington Wizards' summer league roster in 2016, Cooper has spent time playing for Greece, Russia and France, where he earned an MVP nod in 2017. He most recently played for AS Monaco, but left the team late in 2018 for family reasons, according to reports.