More Than 7% Of NBA Players Test Positive For Coronavirus Before Orlando Restart

More NBA players continue to test positive for the coronavirus as the league prepares to restart the 2019-2020 season. With nine players being diagnosed with COVID-19 from June 24-29, a total of 25 players have tested positive over the last week.

Ten NBA staff members have also tested positive for the coronavirus. The league is testing personnel from the 22 teams that are headed to Orlando, Florida, where it will finish the regular season with an eight-game schedule.

The season is scheduled to resume on July 30. The NBA Finals are scheduled to conclude no later than Oct. 13.

“In tests conducted of 344 NBA players between June 24-29, an additional nine players have tested positive for the coronavirus,” the National Basketball Players Association said in a statement Thursday. “Twenty-five of 351 players have tested positive since testing began on June 23.

“Any player, coach or team staff member who tested positive will remain in self-isolation until they satisfy public health protocols for discontinuing isolation and have been cleared by a physician.”

NBA on further testing of players and staff: pic.twitter.com/694TamEWWB
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2020

That comes to 7.1% of players testing positive for the coronavirus. The percentage doesn’t include players that were diagnosed with COVID-19 a few months ago.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic tested positive for COVID-19 in Serbia last week.

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert became the first player to test positive for COVID-19, prompting the immediate suspension of games on March 11. Donovan Mitchell, Gobert’s teammate, tested positive hours later.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart announced that he had the coronavirus in March. Two unidentified Los Angeles Lakers’ players tested positive, as well.

Kevin Durant was one of four Brooklyn Nets’ players that tested positive for COVID-19 after the league was suspended indefinitely. Durant wasn’t involved in the latest round of testing because he won’t be going to Orlando as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles.

Brooklyn center DeAndre Jordan has announced he won’t play in Orlando after testing positive for COVID-19. Other players have chosen to opt-out of the rest of the season for various reasons.

If the NBA resumes its season as planned, it will return from a 141-day hiatus.