Kings' Buddy Hield, Jabari Parker, Alex Len announce they tested positive for COVID-19
Sacramento Kings forward Jabari Parker announced on Wednesday that he has contracted COVID-19, releasing a statement on Twitter:
“Several days ago I tested positive for COVID-19 and I immediately self-isolated in Chicago which is where I remain. 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.”
Hours later, Parker’s fellow frontcourt member Alex Len announced had also tested positive, and that he plans to rejoin the team when cleared.
On Thursday, Kings guard Buddy Hield confirmed reports that he tested positive.
“I’m good,” Hield told the Sacramento Bee. He expects to “be fine by Monday,” he continued.
Trouble for Kings, NBA
The diagnoses raise questions around the Kings’ readiness to play in the NBA’s Orlando bubble league and add to the lingering questions about the viability of the bubble league itself as a COVID-19 outbreak has taken hold in Florida.
Hield, 27, is one of the Kings’ primary offensive weapons, a sharpshooter averaging 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point distance.
Parker, 25, is in his sixth NBA season and played only one game for the Kings after being acquired in a midseason trade before the NBA season was put on hiatus. He averaged 15.6 points and 6 rebounds with the Atlanta Hawks prior to the trade. Len, 27, arrived in the same trade from Atlanta and averages 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
The Kings are among the 22 teams invited to play in the resumption of the NBA season at Disney World in July. Games are slated to start on July 30. Patients with mild cases of COVID-19 generally recover within two weeks, according to the World Health Organization. That time frame would presumably leave all three time to recover and play in Orlando if their health doesn’t worsen.
Patients with non-fatal severe cases see a recovery period of three-to-six weeks, according to WHO.
Other NBA players with recent cases
Parker joins Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon in announcing positive COVID-19 cases in the last two days.
Two unnamed Phoenix Suns players have also reportedly tested positive.
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