Timelord returns from isolation
C’s big man says whole family got virus
At his worst, Robert Williams woke up one night, sweating and repeatedly kicking off his sheets.
“I’m going through not being able to sleep, every five seconds I’m pulling the cover off me and putting it back on me,” the Celtics’ 3rdyear forward said on Tuesday, after his first practice with the team since being cleared through the NBA’s health and safety protocol.
“It was kind of tough, like I said, I’m here, I can’t complain.”
That doesn’t diminish what he just went through, though. Williams understands how rapidly the coronavirus can spread after watching his three-year-old daughter, her mother, and his mother, Tundra, all test positive.
Williams, who first tested positive on Jan. 7 following a game in Miami and spent 10 days in protocol before he was finally cleared for a return, felt particularly helpless where his family was concerned.
“My focus wasn’t really on myself at the moment. And then I just found out maybe like three days ago, my mother tested (positive),” he said. “They’re all doing good, but I was more worried about them than I was myself.
“They’re over it now. It’s gone. My daughter, she didn’t really show any symptoms; still playing around, still running around, you know, but I had to keep an eye on her.”
And now Williams has been cleared, and none too soon for the Celtics. He’ll be a necessary line of defense against Joel Embiid tonight and Friday during a twogame mini-series in Philadelphia.
He passed a cardiac test early on Monday morning — a vital step considering that COVID-19 has been linked to heart trouble — and practiced fully on Tuesday.
“I’m feeling great. Really just happy to be back out here with my guys,” he said. “The test, it had me down a little bit, flu symptoms. But I’m here so I can’t complain man. I’m happy.
“I found out late one night, landing (after the Miami trip),” said Williams. “And it just went from there as far as the quarantining and stuff and staying away from the team, which was a difficult time for me, I’m not going to lie. It’s all I know. So it took a toll on me. But, like I said, I’m just happy to be back.”
He’s the first of three Celtics who tested positive to return, with Jayson Tatum and Carsen Edwards’ status still undetermined. In all eight Celtics, the others for contact tracing purposes, spent time in the protocol, leading to three consecutive game cancellations.
All concerned maintained contact throughout their respective isolations.
“Even the players that didn’t test positive, we were all checking in on each other every day within the group text message, just telling people to stay safe, stay healthy, check in on people’s family members,” said Williams. “It’s a lot of team effort put into that which I thank my teammates for checking in on me too, obviously, because it was a tough time.
“At first it was just strictly they didn’t want me to do anything. Nothing really. Just keep drinking fluids, keep trying to eat. And as the days progressed, I got strength back, when I felt like I could move around and do stuff I did a couple of stretches at home, just trying to stay on top of my conditioning, staying strong a little bit. But for the most part it was just downtime, man.”