The vast majority of the Los Angeles Lakers roster has already been tested for the novel coronavirus, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
Payers went in for testing at 9 a.m. as doctors administered a swab test that will determine either a negative or positive result within a few hours. The Lakers will now start a 14-day self-quarantine process to keep them isolated while they await the results.
This makes five teams that have been fully tested for coronavirus. The Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder were tested on-site, as the NBA suspended the 2019-20 season last Wednesday after Rudy Gobert became the first player to test positive.
Six other players have tested positive since, including teammate Donovan Mitchell, Detroit Pistons big man Christian Wood, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and three of his teammates who remain unnamed.
The Toronto Raptors have also tested all their players, though none had contracted the virus. The Nets were the last team to test all of their players, revealing four positive tests, including that of Durant — the only player to go public.
While it's surely a luxury for an NBA team to get access to test kits — as New York City Mayor Bill DiBlasio pointed out on Tuesday — players have the potential to become super-spreaders like Patient 31 was in South Korea.
We wish them a speedy recovery. But, with all due respect, an entire NBA team should NOT get tested for COVID-19 while there are critically ill patients waiting to be tested.
Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick. https://t.co/7uQlL3zc7Z
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) March 17, 2020
Players travel from city to city several times a month and come into contact with fans, assistants, managers, coaches, and many others during their everyday lives — making that a cause for caution.
NBA teams, including the Lakers, are hoping to get a clean sheet once the results come in, hoping to keep the pandemic under control.
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