Although he had an unconventional exit from the league in 2022, Enes Freedom carved out a solid 11-year NBA career as a former third overall pick from the 2011 draft.
Despite never becoming an All-Star or a dominant player, Freedom established himself as one of the premier backup centers in the league. His elite rebounding skills and low-post game made him the premier spark plug off the bench during his prime with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks.
As a result of his reputation and experience in the league, Enes saw every in and out the NBA has to offer beyond the court, from its political to social aspects.
And one of those certainly came when he was on the Boston Celtics during the NBA Bubble, undoubtedly one of the most bizarre moments in basketball history, alongside everyday life.
Following the NBA and NBPA's mutual agreement after the COVID-19 quarantine, random marijuana drug testing was suspended throughout the 2019-2020 season restart in the Orlando bubble.
As a way of limiting contact through reduced drug-testing personnel, the league eliminated random marijuana testing for players. Instead, the league opted to use its resources specifically for safety against the virus, lowering its drug testing specifically for PEDs and heavy drugs like cocaine.
With that, the league was well aware of the negative impact a highly isolated lifestyle had on the players, and that marijuana could have been one of the players' outlets for relaxation. It's safe to say, however, that the rule backfired in some form or another.
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Freedom, who was a part of the Celtics team that made it to the Eastern Conference finals in 2020, but ultimately lost to the Miami Heat, revealed how the rule wasn't properly established, as players could smoke cannabis whenever they felt like it.
"I did not [smoke marijuana], let me make it very clear," said Freedom. "You're not allowed to smoke marijuana everywhere. But for that period, the NBA was allowing all players to smoke. In the hotels, everywhere."
Although players supported the rule of marijuana being banned, Freedom was shocked to see his teammates being under the influence moments before tip-off, highlighting how poorly the rule was being implemented.
"So, I see all my teammates, right? Their eyes are red. They can barely walk. And we have like four, five hours left till the game," Freedom recalled. "I'm like, 'Guys, what are you doing?'"
Arguably, if Celtics players had not used cannabis before games, they might have made it past the Heat and reached the finals. Still, maybe it helped them relax, eventually leading to better performance, such as reaching the conference finals.
After the 2019-2020 season concluded, and the bubble was finally over, the NBA took notice of how players positively responded to the temporary adjustment of cannabis use. So, the suspension of marijuana testing was ultimately extended for the next three seasons, before the policy was officially brought to life permanently under the new CBA.
Starting from the 2023-24 season, marijuana was removed from the Association's banned substance list, and players have since been free to use cannabis without facing penalties or suspensions for it.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
