Brooklyn Nets duo Jordan, Dinwiddie test positive
Brooklyn Nets duo DeAndre Jordan and Spencer Dinwiddie said on Monday they have tested positive for COVID-19, the news coming as the National Basketball Association prepares to resume the 2020 season.
Jordan confirmed his positive test on Twitter and said he would not return to action when the season resumes on July 30 at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
“Found out last night and confirmed again today that I’ve tested positive for Covid while being back in market. As a result of this, I will not be in Orlando for the resumption of the season,” Jordan tweeted.
Dinwiddie released a statement to The Athletic confirming his diagnosis but did not rule himself out.
The NBA had previously reported 16 positives out of 302 players tested on June 23 but did not disclose their identities.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver had said last Friday that the season could again be put on hold if there is a “significant spread” of COVID-19 among its players in Orlando.
Players are set to begin traveling to Orlando on July 7.
Nuggets close facility after positive tests
The Denver Nuggets closed their training facility after members of the traveling party preparing to go to Florida tested positive for the coronavirus, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday.
Three members of the 35-person traveling party have tested positive, sources told Wojnarowski. The group includes players, coaches and staff, but the report did not specify whether any players were involved.
As previously reported, AllStar center Nikola Jokic tested positive in Serbia earlier this month and is asymptomatic. Coach Michael Malone recently disclosed that he tested positive shortly after the regular season was suspended in mid-March.
As of Saturday, the practice facility was locked to players and staff. The next few days of testing will determine when it reopens, according to the report.
NBA to paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ on Disney courts
The NBA’s plan to highlight social-justice issues when play restarts reportedly will start from the ground up.
The courts that will be used for games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will have “Black Lives Matter” painted on them, ESPN reported Monday.
The NBA will use three arenas at the Disney site as 22 of the league’s 30 teams conclude the regular season beginning July 30 and ending in October.
The National Basketball Players Association and the league have discussed methods to promote messages of equality and police reform since the death of George Floyd prompted nationwide and worldwide protests.
NBPA president Chris Paul, an Oklahoma City Thunder guard, recently told ESPN that the players got permission from the league to wear words promoting social justice in place of their names on uniforms.
“We’re just trying to continue to shed light on the different social justice issues that guys around our league continue to talk about day in and day out,” Paul said. “People are saying that social justice will be off of everybody’s mind in Orlando. With these jerseys, it doesn’t go away.”
According to Paul, phrases such as “Black Lives Matter” or “I Can’t Breathe” or the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor or Ahmaud Arbery could be seen on uniforms. Taylor and Arbery were also killed in shootings this year.
The WNBA also might follow the NBA’s lead and put “Black Lives Matter” on its courts at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for its 2020 season, according to ESPN. The report added that WNBA players might wear pregame shirts with the phrase, “Say Her Name,” seeking to keep the focus on Taylor and other women who are victims of alleged police brutality. (Reuters)