A new report has revealed some previously unknown links between NBA superstar Lebron James. WWE great Paul “The Big Show” Wight and infamous performance-enhancing drug clinic Biogenesis.
A couple of decades ago, MLB was followed by the dark cloud that is PEDs after the league saw a notable boom in interest during the 2000s due to a massive uptick in homerun numbers by not just the league’s power hitters, but by many of its everyday players.
Also Read: Damian Lillard trade market reportedly could soon expand beyond just the Miami Heat
Over time it was revealed that the success many of those players had came via talented chemists instead of dedication to getting better as athletes. One of the biggest and most scandalous of the PED stories linked to that period came from a DEA investigation in the early years of the 2010s that exposed the links between Tony Bosch’s Biogenesis clinic and some of the top stars in baseball, including Boston Red Sox legend Manny Ramirez.
While that story has faded away into the memories of sports fans a massive new report on Wednesday from ESPN offers up a great deal of fresh information via documents from the DEA’s “Operation Strikeout” investigation. And one particular part of the expose reveals some interesting links to Biogenesis and superstars outside of baseball.
An interesting part of the report is the reveal that David Alexander and Ernest “Randy” Mims — a one-time trainer and long-time friend/manager of Lebron James, respectively –were investigated for their connections to the clinic. Both men had a relationship with Carlos Acevedo, a business partner of Bosch and an eventual DEA informant.
Due to the links between the two men and James, authorities revealed they did look into the future Hall-of-Famer and if he was involved in the scandal. However, it was found that “There was never any indication that LeBron James did anything wrong,” the lead DEA investigator told the outlet.
James’ representation revealed when contacted about the report that the NBA icon had no knowledge he was a focus of the investigation that occurred a decade ago.
WWE legend Paul Wight, along with Lebron James, among surprise names in new Biogenesis report
Beyond James, the names of WWE great “The Big Show,” and former WBO heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs came up in the 1,400 documents reviewed by ESPN. Bosch reportedly said in an interview with authorities that he ended up working with the wrestling legend in the late 2000s after having his wife as a client.
Bosch even attended a Thanksgiving dinner at Wight’s home where he learned his business partner at the time, Jorge “Ugi” Velazquez, “was giving Wight additional performance-enhancing drugs ‘behind his back.'”
It is believed that documents from Biogenesis also led investigators to talk to heavyweight star Shannon Briggs in 2013 during a resurgent period in his career. While Briggs did not work directly with Bosch, the one-time WBO champion did do business with one of his proteges.
“Sitting with the agents around a table by his swimming pool, Briggs acknowledged visiting a local clinic operated by one of Bosch’s protégés. Briggs recalled being brought by a ‘boxing friend’ and paying with cash, but beyond that said he couldn’t remember much of anything. Briggs told authorities he had ‘memory problems due to repeated blows to the head from being a professional boxer.'”
Briggs fought many more times and received medical permissions to compete with various commissions despite his alleged memory issues.