Kevin Durant
(Photo : Reuters)

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant said that he is one of four players on the team who tested positive for coronavirus according to a recently published article.

Seven players in the NBA have now tested positive for coronavirus. The first NBA player who tested positive for the virus was Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz which led to the suspension of the season. Among them are Donovan Mitchell, Christian Wood and the other three players from the Brooklyn Nets have not been named by the team. 

Kevin Durant told a news outlet that everyone must be careful, take care of themselves, and to quarantine. It is still not clear as to where Durant contracted the virus since he did not play the entire season due to his injury.

Brooklyn Nets have not recently played against the Utah Jazz or Detroit Pistons where there are confirmed cases of players who have coronavirus. They also have not played against the teams that Utah and Detroit have played against since late February.

In an official statement released by the Brooklyn Nets, they said that the team is currently doing everything to notify anyone who had direct contact with the team's players, including opponents. They are also closely working with the state and local authorities and health officials on reporting the progress and development of players as well as the investigation. 

At present, all members of the team are now asked to remain isolated and are being closely monitored by the team's medical staff. 

Moreover, it is also not clear as to how many staff members and employees have been tested for coronavirus or how they were able to procure the tests and testing kits given that health officials around the country have struggled to test the general public.

However, as stated in the guidelines of the New York City Department of Health it is "strongly recommending against testing persons with mild illness who can be safely managed at home, unless a diagnosis may impact patient management."

A spokesman from the Nets said that three of the four players who tested positive for the virus did not show any symptoms. He also declined to give details about how the team got the tests.

Spokesman of the NBA Mike Bass asserted that NBA players must be the top priority to be tested for coronavirus because of their heavy travels across the country and they were also exposed to a large crowd.

Mike Bass said: "Public health authorities and team doctors have been concerned that, given NBA players' direct contact with each other and close interactions with the general public, in addition to their frequent travel, they could accelerate the spread of the virus. Following two players testing positive last week, others were tested and five additional players tested positive. Hopefully, by these players choosing to make their test results public, they have drawn attention to the critical need for young people to follow C.D.C. recommendations in order to protect others, particularly those with underlying health conditions and the elderly."

They are also tracing and continue to notify the teams that Brooklyn Nets had a game with and that includes Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and Memphis Grizzlies. The team also continues to monitor and notify the conditions of players who had direct contacts with Durant.

Check these out!

Rudy Gobert Tests Positive For Coronavirus, NBA Suspends Season 

Lebron James to NBA, "I Will Not Play in Empty Arenas"