:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66515606/1204247124.jpg.0.jpg)
Coming fresh off of the news that four players from the Brooklyn Nets tested positive for COVID-19, or the coronavirus, the Los Angeles Lakers will get tested on Wednesday, according to a report by Brad Turner of the L.A. Times.
The Lakers played the Nets on March 10, the day before the NBA indefinitely suspended its season:
Sources: Lakers just had conference call with players and will be tested tomorrow for Coronavirus and will have 14 day self-quarantine.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) March 17, 2020
The Lakers stopped short of confirming that their players and staff are being tested for coronavirus pic.twitter.com/J7fxZzj90k
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) March 18, 2020
This is the second conference call the Lakers have had with their players this week. During Monday’s call, players were reportedly instructed to only work out at their home gyms or the practice facility in El Segundo, and check in with the team daily.
While a test will let the players on the team know whether or not they have the coronavirus, there’s no reason to believe they won’t still be held to those strict standards even if everyone’s tests come back negative, especially since L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti used an executive order to close bars, nightclubs and restaurants until the end of the month on Sunday. Until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says otherwise, everyone should assume they’re at risk of contracting or spreading the virus.
We are rounding up every story on how the threat of coronavirus is impacting the Lakers and NBA.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788870/1212034475.jpg.jpg)
Considering how difficult it’s been for people in California to get tested for the coronavirus — something Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr noted earlier in the day — it’s safe to guess that the Lakers might be using a private firm, like the Nets reportedly did. A handful of other teams, including the Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors, have already been tested.
It’s unclear if the Nets contracted the virus while playing basketball, or gave it other players during a game, but as a precaution, it makes sense for the Lakers to get tested and quarantine the same way the teams that played the Utah Jazz earlier this month did and have been doing. Stay tuned for updates over the next day or so.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.