Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins has missed the past five games with a case of viral meningitis and continues to recover slowly, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation.
The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the team had not detailed the initial diagnosis.
The Kings announced Wednesday that Cousins had been treated at a local hospital for a viral infection and that he would miss this weekend’s games against the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic.
But while the possibility was left open that he could return on Monday against the Utah Jazz, it’s now more likely that he would attempt to resume basketball activities later in the week is expected to miss at least another seven to 10 days.
The most notable recent case of viral meningitis in the NBA was suffered by Luol Deng during the 2013 playoffs, when he missed all but the first five games for the Chicago Bulls.
Cousins’ continued absence is bad news for the Kings, who have gotten off to a surprisingly strong start. After winning just 28 games last season, Sacramento is 10-10 through their first 20 games. The improvement is thanks in no small part to Cousins, who is having a career year and putting together a convincing case for his first All-Star appearance. He’s averaging 23.5 points and 12.6 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field, all career highs.