Pistons’ Wood third player to test positive for Covid-19
DETROIT: Detroit Pistons player Christian Wood has tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the third NBA player to contract Covid-19.
The Pistons, without identifying Wood, issued a statement on Saturday saying that one of their players had tested positive.
Woods’ agent Adam Pensack told the Detroit News on Saturday that his client is the one, adding “he feels 100 percent fine.”
“A player on the Detroit Pistons, who is under the care of team medical staff and in self-isolation since Wednesday night, was tested for Covid-19,” the Pistons said in a statement. “A preliminary positive result came back on March 14.
“The health and safety of our players, our organisation, those throughout our league, and all those potentially impacted by this situation is paramount. We are working closely with team medical staff, state and local government and public health officials and the NBA on reporting. The individual will remain in isolation and under the care of team medical staff.”
The 24-year-old forward experienced flu-like symptoms before playing in Wednesday’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
On March 7, Wood scored 30 points and pulled down 11 rebounds against the Utah Jazz, whose Rudy Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for the disease.
Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell was the second.
Wood scored a career-high 32 points against the Sixers on Wednesday.
That was the same evening that Gobert’s diagnosis with Covid-19 prompted the NBA to suspend its season indefinitely.
On Thursday, the Pistons said that all of their players, coaches and staff would “self-isolate until further notice.”
The Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors all played games against the Jazz recently.
The Raptors, who played the Jazz on Monday in Salt Lake City, have tested all of their players and the majority came up negative, but they said Friday they were still waiting on the results of one more test.
GOBERT PLEDGES SUPPORT
Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert, who apologised for his careless actions before he was diagnosed with novel coronavirus, has pledged to donate more than half a million dollars to health services and arena workers affected by the pandemic.
More than half the money will go towards Covid-19 related social service programmes in Utah, Oklahoma City and the French health care system, the Jazz said in a statement on Saturday.
“These donations are a small token that reflect my appreciation and support for all those impacted and are the first of many steps I will take to try and make a positive difference, while continuing to learn more about Covid-19 and educate others,” Gobert said in prepared remarks released by the Jazz.
Gobert will donate $200,000 in aid to part-time employees at the Jazz’s arena who are unable to work as the NBA is shut down in a bid to combat the spread of the virus.
Another $200,000 will assist families affected by the outbreak in Utah and Oklahoma City. He also promised €100,000 ($111,400) for health care in his native France.
Gobert tried to make fun of the NBA’s policy to keep media members at a safe distance from players in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, touching all the microphones put before him on a table at a press conference last week.