Two players from the Los Angeles Lakers have tested positive for coronavirus. The team announced the news on Thursday and the two players in the midst of a 14-day self-quarantine. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the players took the test on Wednesday while in their cars.
“Following four Brooklyn Nets players testing positive for COVID-19, because Los Angeles Lakers’ players were exposed to them during our game against the Nets on March 10, our team physicians and public health officials recommended coronavirus testing for the players,” the Lakers said in a statement. “We learned today that two Lakers players have tested positive. Both players are currently asymptomatic, in quarantine and under the care of the team’s physician.
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“All players and members of the Lakers staff are being asked to continue to observe self-quarantine and shelter at home guidelines, closely monitor their health, consult with their personal physicians and maintain constant communication with the team.
“The health and well-being of our players, our organization, our fans, and all those potentially impacted by this situation is paramount. As always, we appreciate the support of our fans, family and friends, and wish everyone affected by this virus a speedy recovery.”
Kevin Durant was one of the four Nets players who tested positive for coronavirus, this all comes on the heels of Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert being the first NBA to contract the disease which led to the NBA suspending the season. Commissioner Adam Silver said the league could return in mid-June and he revealed a plan how the season would play out.
“What are the conditions we need for the league to restart? I would say I’m looking at three different things,” Silver said to Rachel Nichols of ESPN. “One is, when can we restart and operate as we’ve known it with 19,000 fans in buildings? … Option two is, should we consider restarting without fans, and what would that mean? Because, presumably, if we had a group of players, and staff around them, and you could test them and follow some sort of protocol, doctors and health officials may say it’s safe to play.
“A third option that we are looking at now … the impact on the national psyche of having no sports programming on television. And one of the things we’ve been talking about are, are there conditions in which a group of players could compete — maybe it’s for a giant fundraiser or just the collective good of the people — where you take a subset of players and, is there a protocol where they can be tested and quarantined and isolated in some way, and they could compete against one another?”
The NBA regular season schedule was set to end in April with the playoffs ending in June.
