While the NBA is on hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are learning of more cases of the coronavirus among NBA players. On Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases went from three to seven when the Nets announced four players tested positive, three of which were asymptomatic, including Kevin Durant, who issued a statement pleading for people to quarantine and take this seriously.
The Nets tested for the virus through a private company on Saturday after returning to Brooklyn from San Francisco where they were supposed to play the Warriors on Thursday, after having played the Lakers on Tuesday in a 104-102. The Lakers now are needing to enter a 14-day self-quarantine period and will be tested on Wednesday, per Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Sources: Lakers just had conference call with players and will be tested tomorrow for Coronavirus and will have 14 day self-quarantine.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) March 17, 2020
Team source confirms to ESPN that in light of the Nets news, the Lakers – who played Brooklyn in their last game before the NBA suspension – will administer coronavirus testing on their players tomorrow and the players will be played in a 14-day quarantine. @BA_Turner was first
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 17, 2020
The results of those tests likely won’t be known until the end of the week, but it raises a question about whether NBA teams should be able to garner access to testing, even via private companies, when the tests are so incredibly limited to the public during this crisis. It’s a point raised by many after the Nets test results emerged, including criticism from NYC 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.
Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick. https://t.co/7uQlL3zc7Z
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) March 17, 2020
The Warriors say their players and staffers still in town are observing the same lockdown as the rest of San Francisco citizens and indicated they would not be tested as their medical staff was advised that given none of the players have shown severe symptoms and are not in the high risk age range, they shouldn’t take tests from the limited supply. That the Lakers are doing so raises more questions, even if it’s understandable why they would want to test given they played a team that had multiple confirmed cases.
If they were to follow the protocol of simply doing a 14-day quarantine and move on provided no one came down with severe symptoms, it would be more in line with what health professionals are asking of younger people, even those that are exhibiting mild symptoms or have come into contact with someone that has tested positive.
