Coronavirus: NBA announces that 25 of 351 players have tested positive for COVID-19

Before the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season in Orlando in July, NBA teams began evaluating players for the coronavirus last week. There was a new update Thursday, when the league announced that 25 of 351 players evaluated since June 23 have been positive for COVID-19; That equals 7.1 percent of all players. According to the league, any player who has tested positive will remain in self-isolation until they comply with public health protocols to suspend isolation and have been cleared by a physician.

Players who tested positive last week included center Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic, Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, Nets players DeAndre Jordan and Spencer Dinwiddie and Kings players Buddy Hield, Alex Len and Jabari Parker. . Other players like Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell and Marcus Smart tested positive for the virus in March, and have since been eliminated.

Despite the fact that COVID-19 cases are actually springing up in Florida, the league still plans to restart its season at Disney World in Orlando in late July. The teams participating in the reboot will travel there, play eight “pick games” starting July 30, and then begin a typical playoff format that will culminate in October. Once the season resumes, the league will conduct COVID-19 tests every night. Any player who tests positive at that point must quarantine for a minimum of seven days and obtain two negative results before they are allowed to return to action. Any player who contracts the coronavirus, or is injured, in Orlando may be replaced, but the replaced player will not be eligible to return to the “bubble” environment.

Between the coronavirus, concerns about the quarantine situation, and the desire to continue fighting for social justice, there are all kinds of valid reasons for players to be careful about going to Orlando, and as such players they are not contractually obligated to participate. If a team decides that a player is high risk from a health perspective, he may be excused from Orlando and still receive his full salary. Any other player is free to choose not to play, and will not violate their contract. However, if they voluntarily decide not to play, they will no be paid for those lost games.