Soumaila Samake (born March 18, 1978) is a Malian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. A 7'0" tall

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, he was drafted by the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

in the second round of the 2000 NBA draft, and played for the Nets and the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. He scored 68 points and grabbed 76 rebounds in 47 NBA games between 2000 and 2003. His final NBA game was played on December 4th, 2002 in a 85 - 93 loss to the Utah Jazz where he played for 2 minutes and recorded no stats. While playing with the Lakers in 2002, Samake was suspended five games after testing positive for

Nandrolone Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) which is used in the form of esters such as nandrolone decanoate (brand name Deca-Durabolin) and nandrolone phenylpropionate (brand name Durabolin). Nandrolon ...

, an

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone (medication), testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related ...

. Samake said that he had accidentally ingested the substance while taking a dietary supplement. He was only the third NBA player suspended for steroids, following

Don MacLean Don Maclean (born 1942/1943) MBE KSS is an English actor and comedian, who appeared on the BBC television series '' Crackerjack'' with Michael Aspel, Peter Glaze and Jan Hunt in the 1970s. Born in Birmingham, he attended Clifton Road Schoo ...

and

Matt Geiger Matthew Allen Geiger (born September 10, 1969) is an American former professional National Basketball Association player who played at the center position. Collegiate career Geiger played for Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida and wa ...

.Liz Robbins.
N.B.A. Union Strikes Deal for Supplements
. ''New York Times''. November 17, 2006. Retrieved on June 15, 2009. On November 29, 2011, it was announced that the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketb ...

Quebec Kebs The Quebec Kebs (french: Kebs de Quebec) were a professional basketball team located in Laval, Quebec, formerly based in Quebec City, Quebec. The Kebs were part of the National Basketball League of Canada. They also played in the Atlantic Divisi ...

had signed Samake to their active roster.

References

External links

NBA.com: Soumaila Samake Bio
* 1978 births Living people Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Stuff players Expatriate basketball people in the United States Greenville Groove players Jilin Northeast Tigers players KK Mornar Bar players KK Olimpija players Laval Kebs players Los Angeles Lakers players Malian expatriates in the United States Malian men's basketball players New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players Orlandina Basket players People from Sikasso Region Zhejiang Golden Bulls players 21st-century Malian people {{Mali-basketball-bio-stub