Four Brooklyn Nets have tested positive for the coronavirus, with only one of them reportedly showing the symptoms of COVID-19.
One of those players was Kevin Durant, something the two-time Finals MVP told Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Kevin Durant tested positive for coronavirus, Durant tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Durant says he is feeling fine: "Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We're going to get through this."
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 17, 2020
Durant has not had symptoms and was among four positive test results on the Nets. The two-time NBA Finals MVP's message is one for everyone to heed: Stay quarantined. https://t.co/7E58fcyFjm
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 17, 2020
It is not known who the other three players are, nor do we know which one of them showed symptoms.
That Durant, who has not played for the Nets this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, was one of the guys who tested positive shows it had worked its way through the franchise and locker room. Durant has worked out with the team, coaches, and players who needed the extra practice, but he had not played in an NBA game since tearing his Achilles in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
Kevin Durant has progressed to 4-on-4 in his rehab. Here he takes rookie Nic Claxton off the dribble. First time I’ve seen Kevin Durant dunking since his injury.
— Billy Reinhardt (@BillyReinhardt) March 10, 2020
This confirms that KD is in LA with the Nets for start of their west coast trip.pic.twitter.com/fXUgtkGjVQ
There has been speculation Durant could join the Nets for the playoffs if the NBA cannot resume until late May or June (as appears most likely), but Durant’s friend and business partner tamped down those expectations.
The Nets paid for a private testing firm to check on their players, not drawing down the limited supply of tests in New York and nationwide for public testing. Any doctor or medical professional who came forward with the names of the players who tested positive would be violating HIPAA (the patient privacy law), however, Durant came forward of his own volition.
Durant is the biggest name to come down with the disease among NBA players, he’s is a player of global status with his own line of Nike shoes. He joins a list of Utah’s All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, Detroit’s Christian Wood, and the three anonymous Nets as the seven NBA players who have tested positive for the coronavirus.