Buddy Hield, Alex Len And Jabari Parker Test Positive For COVID-19
Jun 25, 2020, 7:45 AM | Updated: 7:51 am
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
All three players will reportedly aim to be cleared by the season’s resumption next month
With the NBA season re-start approaching, the league is beginning to ramp up testing for all 22 participating teams.
According to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, three Sacramento Kings players have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that is currently affecting millions of people worldwide.
Hield, 27, was recently participating in the Skinz Basketball League in Oklahoma with hundreds of fans in attendance. It is unknown if this is how the sharpshooting guard contracted the virus.
Sacramento center Alex Len was reported by Charania to have tested positive for COVID-19, with Len stating that he was currently in quarantine as he looked forward to rejoining his team for play in Orlando.
Len had been a great pickup for the Kings, averaging 6.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in his nine games after being acquired in a February trade with Atlanta.
Recently acquired forward Jabari Parker also tested positive for the virus, according to The Athletic.
Shortly after news broke of Parker’s positive test, the Sacramento Kings released the following statement regarding the 25 year-old’s status:
In a report by Sam Amick of The Athletic, Amick reports that Sacramento made the move to sign Corey Brewer for the remainder of the season in response to Parker’s positive test.
Shortly after Parker’s test results were announced, Sara Hodges of KOVR Sacramento reported that four Kings players had tested positive for the virus, according to sources.
Hield and Len were confirmed to have tested positive for the virus within an hour of Hodges’ report.
It is unknown at this time if there is in fact a fourth player that has tested positive.
With widespread testing beginning across the league, several positive tests have been announced, including Denver All-Star center Nikola Jokic and former Rookie of the Year Award winner Malcom Brogdon of the Indiana Pacers.
More positive tests are expected to leak in the coming days as results are passed along to team training staffs, casting a dark cloud over the 2019-20 season re-start.
After a positive test, each player must quarantine themselves and test negative twice with tests more than 24 hours apart before being allowed to leave isolation, per NBA’s new policy.
It is unclear if the three infected Kings players are asymptotic or showing symptoms.
Updates will be provided on this developing story when available.
