In the NBA, unexpected heroics are cause for…severe skepticism.
Corey Brewer hung 51 points on the Houston Rockets (his current team) as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves in April 2014. It was an electric performance, and the Timberwolves needed every last one of his 51 bones to squeak out a 112-110 victory. You can relive that night below:
Here’s the thing: Prior to that game, Brewer’s career high was 29 points, a mark he hit in March 2013. He nearly doubled his output in Minnesota’s win over Houston, to the surprise of everyone, and apparently to the doubt of the NBA.
During a conversation with CBS Sports’ James Herbert (h/t Bleacher Report), Brewer divulged that he was drug tested immediately following his hallmark effort:
How often do people bring up your 51-point game?
Brewer: People bring it up pretty often. I just remember it was amazing. I felt like everything I threw up was going in. It was fun. And especially it was fun to do it in Minnesota where we had a rough year, to get the crowd something to cheer about.
There was a one-hour delay before you talked to media after that, right?
Brewer: I had a random drug test from the NBA. So I couldn’t do the interview until I got done with my drug test. I didn’t have to go to the bathroom. So it took a while. It was weird, it was just funny at the same time. I was like ‘Wow, I played the best game of my life, now I gotta go to the bathroom to take this drug test.’
This has to be a coincidence. I think. Maybe.
Perhaps it’s not.
Similar stories have surfaced in the past about athletes being drug tested after a cornerstone performance. But random drug testing is part and parcel of being a professional athlete. There are bound to be some coincidences every now and again, even if they don’t appear to be coincidences at the time.
Kudos to Brewer either way. It doesn’t matter whether the test was random or the byproduct of his once-in-a-career-actually-maybe-less-than-that outing. There was never a scandal in the aftermath of that night. He must’ve been clean.
So not only did he torch the Rockets for 51 points, but he did so without cheating.
Feel free to slow cap in Corey Brewer’s honor for the rest of the day.
