(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
NBA all-star Kevin Durant is among the four Brooklyn Nets players to test positive for the coronavirus, ESPN confirmed Tuesday.
“Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine,” Durant told The Athletic, adding that he is feeling fine and not showing any symptoms. “We’re going to get through this.”
The Nets did not identify any players and said Tuesday that of the four players, only one is exhibiting symptoms. All four are isolated and undergoing medical care from team physicians, the Nets said in a statement.
The Nets’ announcement raises to seven the number of current NBA players diagnosed with the coronavirus: Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell, Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood, and the four members of the Nets.
The Nets actually paid a private company to have the players tested. The team paid out of pocket after they returned from San Francisco last week. The test results came back Tuesday.
San Francisco is one of the first cities to go on “lock down” meaning people are advised to stay indoors unless they have to in order to “flatten the curve” of the number of virus cases.
Prior to the start of the 2014–15 season, Durant was diagnosed with a Jones fracture in his right foot and was ruled out for six to eight weeks. He subsequently missed the first 17 games of the year, making his season debut for the Thunder on December 2 against the New Orleans Pelicans. On December 18, he injured his ankle against the Golden State Warriors, returning to action on December 31 against the Phoenix Suns to score a season-high 44 points. He then sprained his left big toe in late January. On February 22, he was sidelined again after undergoing a minor procedure to help reduce pain and discomfort in his surgically repaired right foot, and on March 27, he was officially ruled out for the rest of the season after deciding to undergo foot surgery.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be tested Wednesday after learning of the Nets’ positive tests, sources confirmed to ESPN‘s Dave McMenamin.
TMZ reports Drake may have been exposed to COVID-19 last week by Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant.
The Nets were in Los Angeles eight days ago to play the Lakers. Durant, who’s recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, did not play. But he did make the… trip out west. After the game, TMZ reports Durant “kicked it with Drake at Nice Guy in West Hollywood.”
Drake even posted a photo of him with Durant on Instagram.
Following Tuesday’s disclosure by the Nets, TMZ reports Drake posted a “video from the basketball court in his Toronto mansion. He said, ‘My life for the next however long.’ Makes it sound like he’s self-quarantining … perhaps out of an abundance of safety?”
Off the court, Durant is one of the highest-earning basketball players in the world, due in part to endorsement deals with companies such as Foot Locker and Nike. He has developed a reputation for philanthropy and regularly leads the league in All-Star votes and jersey sales. In recent years, he has contributed to The Players’ Tribune as both a photographer and writer. In 2012, he ventured into acting, appearing in the film Thunderstruck.
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