N.B.A. players will be blood-tested for human growth hormone beginning next season.
The league and the players’ union announced on Thursday that H.G.H. testing would start during training camp next fall. All players will be subjected to three random, unannounced tests annually — two during the season and once in the off-season.
A positive test will result in a 20-game suspension for a first violation and a 45-game ban for a second violation. A player will be dismissed and disqualified from the N.B.A. for his third violation.
Owners and players had agreed during collective bargaining negotiations in 2011 to determine a process for how H.