Kevin Durant and three members of the Brooklyn Nets became the latest NBA players infected with COVID-19. All have tested positive upon return from a scheduled game in San Francisco, which was suspended when news broke out that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has contracted the novel coronavirus. The Nets have declined to reveal the identity of the other players.
They joined the list of NBA stars now under quarantine because of the coronavirus outbreak, which the World Health Organization has already characterized to be spreading at a pandemic level.
Shortly after Gobert was reported to have been infected last week, the Jazz reported that his teammate Donovan Mitchell had also tested positive. Then at the start of the week, the Detroit Pistons confirmed that center Christian Wood has been classified as patient No. 3.
In the case of Durant, the former Warriors provided the confirmation of his condition to Shams Charania of The Athletic, according to Yahoo Sports.
"Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine ... We're going to get through this," Charania reported the former Finals MVP as saying.
The report added that Durant was clueless he got infected as he showed no signs of being sick, which was the same case with the three others who got the virus. The players were reported to be asymptomatic before getting the test for COVID-19.
In a statement, the Nets said efforts are now underway to reach out to NBA teams that the club has recently played with.
"The organization is currently notifying anyone who has had known contact with the players, including recent opponents, and is working closely with state and local health authorities on reporting," CNN reported Brooklyn's statement as saying.
Likewise, the club announced that in light of the development, "all players and members of the Nets travel party are being asked to remain isolated, closely monitor their health and maintain constant communication with team medical staff."
Meanwhile in San Francisco where the Nets last traveled, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has admitted he has no clue if any of his players did interact with their Brooklyn counterpart before Durant and company left town.
"I'm hoping none of our guys went and hung out with any of their players the night before our game," Kerr told the Mercury News.
Durant and his teammates getting the COVID-19 now seemed to increase the likelihood of the NBA games not resuming anytime soon. Following the suspension of the season last week, the expectation was games will be played again after 30 days even behind closed doors.
However, as the coronavirus outbreak appears to be spreading at a sustained level, NBA officials are said to be preparing on the possibility of delaying the season well into July or August.
