Seven NBA players — including Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, and Rudy Gobert — have tested positive for the coronavirus, plus one member of the Denver Nuggets organization.
Now add three members of the 76ers organization, as well. The team made the announcement Thursday.
The club had players, coaches, and basketball operations staff that had contact with players tested for the virus and found three people who were positive for COVID-19. The team did not specify who the three people testing positive were or what their roles are in the organization, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports they are staff members.
Philadelphia played Detroit on March 11, the final night before the league was shut down. Christian Wood of the Pistons tested positive for coronavirus, it was announced last weekend. There is no way to know, however, if that is how the virus spread to the Sixers organization, it could have come from the community or a lot of places.
“Pursuant to CDC guidelines, the three individuals are in self-isolation and will be monitored closely by medical professionals,” the Sixers said in their statement.
Philadelphia’s tests were secured and conducted through a private firm, the team announced.
This is the second team to announce today (likely as part of a league-wide directive) that a member of the organization tested positive, not specifying player/coach/staff or any names. Is this level of vagueness benefitting anyone? There are HIPAA laws regulating the release of medical patient names, but teams being this vague and opaque at a time of heightened health concerns seems an odd decision.
The NBA remains suspended, with games likely on hold until June at the earliest and the playoffs potentially stretching into August.