Durant, others test positive

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Durant, others test positive

Thu, 03/19/2020 - 13:10
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NEW YORK (AP) — Four Brooklyn Nets players, including Kevin Durant, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to seven known players in the NBA.

The Nets did not name the players Tuesday, but Durant told The Athletic he was one of them, saying: “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We’re going to get through this.”

The Nets announced that one player is exhibiting symptoms, while the other three are asymptomatic. All four players have been isolated and are under the care of team physicians.

“The health of our players and staff is of the highest priority to the organization and the team is doing everything within its power to ensure that those affected receive the best care possible,” the Nets said in a statement.

Brooklyn’s most recent game was March 10 in Los Angeles against the Lakers. After the Nets announced their test results, the Lakers — who have the NBA’s second-best record this season and two of the game’s biggest stars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis — indicated that their team will now be tested.

“Given the exposure risks from our game against the Nets on March 10th, we are following the next steps of our COVID-19 procedures and protocol that are established in consultation with various health officials, the NBA and our UCLA Health doctors,” the Lakers said.

The Nets said that all players and members of their travel party are being asked to remain isolated and closely monitor their health, but the team’s ability to get testing that has been unavailable to so many others drew criticism from New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“We wish them a speedy recovery. But, with all due respect, an entire NBA team should NOT get tested for COVID-19 while there are critically ill patients waiting to be tested,” de Blasio wrote on Twitter. “Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick.”

NBA spokesman Mike Bass later said that public health officials and team physicians had concerns that players — because of their direct contact with each other and interactions with the general public — “could accelerate the spread of the virus.”

The NBA’s hope is that the platform its players have will raise awareness among the game’s fan basis on the topic of taking precautions seriously. Several NBA players have taped messages in recent days on the topic; Portland’s Pau Gasol, for example, released one Tuesday thanking first responders for their work on the front lines of the crisis.

“Hopefully, by these players choosing to make their test results public, they have drawn attention to the critical need for young people to follow CDC recommendations in order to protect others, particularly those with underlying health conditions and the elderly,” Bass said.

It is unknown how many teams have been tested.

Brooklyn beat the Lakers in that March 10 matchup. The Nets were then to face the Golden State Warriors two nights later in San Francisco — before the NBA season was suspended after Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive. Durant was in Los Angeles for the Nets’ game against the Lakers, but was not in San Francisco for the game against the Warriors.