EL SEGUNDO, CA — It seems as though life as we know has come to a screeching halt in the midst of this Coronavirus outbreak. In the past week, we have seen every professional and collegiate sports league or event get cancelled or suspended abruptly due to this quickly spreading virus.
After Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, NBA commissioner Adam Silver suspended the entire league forcing players to go into isolation or self-quarantine and get themselves tested.
This virus recently spread to the Brooklyn Nets, including injured superstar Kevin Durant, have tested positive for the Coronavirus. The Nets’ last game was against the Los Angeles Lakers last Tuesday night at Staples Center.
After the news about the Nets’ players being infected, multiple reports stated that “the majority” of Lakers’ players underwent Coronavirus testing on Wednesday morning with results likely coming out on Friday. As they wait, the players will have to undergo a self-quarantine for the next 14 days.
What’s so confounding about this virus is you can test positive and never feel a single symptom, which was the case for Donovan Mitchell. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t spread it to others which is why the self-quarantine is necessary.
We shall see what the results are for the Lakers, but isolating themselves for the next two weeks will be absolutely necessary.
This outbreak has put the U.S. in a state of “national emergency,” with many businesses shutting down. However, various sports franchises and players have made significant financial donations to assist arena employees, who aren’t working, or programs that provide food to senior citizens and children who depend on meal services from school districts.
Many cities have yet to provide free testing to all citizens. This is an opportunity for the Lakers players and ownership to set up a free-testing program in L.A. for families who may not be able to afford to go to a hospital or clinic. This would not only help people verify if they have this virus or not, but raise more awareness about the Coronavirus.
*On Thursday afternoon, it was revealed that two Lakers players had tested positive for the CoronaVirus. Stay tuned for more updates.
According to reports, Lakers center JaVale McGee and guard Quinn Cook have both tested negative for the virus. Cook appeared on Yahoo Sports NBA Insider Chris Haynes’ Posted Up Pod, to discuss the controversy of NBA players getting access to the test verses the public getting the testing procedure.
“The team that we play for has access to the test, if it benefits us to get the test I’m a get the test,” Cook told Haynes. “Obviously it’s unfortunate for people in society have symptoms and can’t get access to the test. For us we have to be smart as possible, we are exposed just as much as anyone in the world. Our contact sport, we’re sweating on each other, grabbing each other, and after the game we’re grabbing fans, and we’re exposed to so much.”
*Nick Hamilton assisted with the writing of this article*
