Two US basketball players in China's top league fail doping tests

BEIJING, China — Two players from the United States failed doping tests earlier this year while competing in China's professional basketball league, the country's association said.

Montrezl Harrell and Troy Akeem Gillenwater tested positive in April for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), a precursor to THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana.

Harrell, who formerly played with several NBA teams. including the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, joined a team in Australia in May.

It was not immediately clear where Gillenwater now plays.

The duo failed routine in-competition tests, when Harrell was contracted to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and Gillenwater was playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China's top league.

In a statement Tuesday, the Chinese Basketball Association said it would impose penalties on the players after the China Anti-Doping Agency makes a final decision on their cases.

The anti-doping agency said both players had given up the right to have their "B" samples tested.

The CBA said in a statement it would "strictly follow anti-doping rules... to deal with violators".

"The CBA firmly opposes any form of doping violations and will always carry out anti-doping work with a zero-tolerance attitude," it said.