Brogdon, two Kings test positive for virus
Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon and Sacramento Kings players Jabari Parker and Alex Len revealed they have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Brogdon and Parker made announcements in the forms of statements released by their teams. Len announced his status in an Instagram post. All three said they expect to be with their teams when the NBA season resumes at the Disney complex near Orlando, Fla., next month.
“I recently tested positive for the COVID virus and am currently in quarantine,” Brogdon said in his statement. “I’m doing well, feeling well and progressing well. I plan to join my teammates in Orlando for the resumption of the NBA season and playoffs.”
All 22 NBA teams that will be part of the resumed season began mandated testing Tuesday. League officials have expected that positive tests would be inevitable and believed that starting a testing regimen now — roughly five weeks before games begin at Disney — will give players with positive results time to recover and return to their teams before play starts July 30.
“Several days ago I tested positive for COVID-19 and immediately self-isolated in Chicago which is where I remain,” Parker said in his statement. “I am progressing in my recovery and feeling well. I look forward to joining my teammates in Orlando as we return to the court for the resumption of the NBA season.”
Len said his positive result came after a test taken in Sacramento, Calif., on Tuesday. He said he “immediately entered isolation“and thanked the NBA “for putting the protocols in place to allow me to catch this early.”
All teams will arrive at Disney between July 7-9 to start a brief quarantine and training camp.
The Indianapolis Star has reported backup guard Justin Holiday may not play and two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo told ESPN.com on Saturday he intended to ramp up his activities with the team this week before making a decision.
Lakers’ Bradley opts out of restart
The Los Angeles Lakers will be without at least one key player when the NBA season resumes in Florida next month.
Avery Bradley will not be joining the team, according to a person familiar with his plans.
Bradley told ESPN on Tuesday night that the primary reason for his decision was the health of his 6-year-old son Liam, who has a respiratory condition that makes him high risk if he were to contract COVID-19.
Bradley’s decision opens a roster spot for the Lakers, who are considering JR Smith to replace him. Smith worked out for the Lakers in March on the same day they worked out Dion Waiters, whom they eventually signed.
Wesley joining Knicks’ operation
The New York Knicks, persistently in the market for credibility, clout and connections, made a move to address all three shortcomings Wednesday by adding one of basketball’s best-known outsiders to the team’s front office.
The new hire, William Wesley, is more commonly known in NBA circles by his nickname, “World Wide Wes.” He joined the Knicks as an executive vice president and senior basketball adviser, the team said, but already had deep ties to the organization’s leadership. Wesley is a longtime associate of the Knicks president Leon Rose, a relationship that dates to their high school days in New Jersey.
Sides close on social justice plan
A meeting between leaders of the NBA and the players’ union closed with an in-principle agreement that “the goal of the season restart in Orlando, Fla., will be to take collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice,” both sides announced in a joint news release.
The meeting was attended by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, players union executive director Michele Roberts, union president and Oklahoma City guard Chris Paul and vice president and Miami guard Andre Iguodala, among others, with the purpose of advancing the response to social justice issues.
According to both the union and the league, no specific plan was finalized but there was “broad alignment about the direction and priorities of the efforts, especially with regard to supporting players’ activism and leadership.”
Silver said the league and its players “are committed to collective action to build a more equal and just society.”