LOS ANGELES (AFP) – NBA star Russell Westbrook revealed Monday he has tested positive for COVID-19 as the league gears up for its return in Florida later this month.
Houston Rockets star Westbrook, the 2017 Most Valuable Player and one of the biggest names in the NBA, said in a statement he was feeling well and was in isolation.
“I tested positive for COVID-19 prior to my team’s departure to Orlando,” Westbrook said on Twitter.
“I’m currently feeling well, quarantined and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared. Thank you all for the well wishes and continued support,” the 31-year-old added.
“Please take this virus seriously. Be safe. Mask up!”
Westbrook was one of several Rockets players who did not travel to Orlando, where the NBA will resume its season on July 30 after a four-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As well as Westbrook, fellow superstar James Harden and Cameroon international Luc Mbah a Moute also did not travel, although the team has not given a reason for their absence.
2 MORE CASES
The NBA said Monday two players have tested positive for coronavirus since teams began arriving in Orlando, Florida for the resumption of the league later this month.
An NBA statement said out of 322 players tested at the NBA Campus at Disney World since July 7, two returned positive tests.
However the league said neither player had cleared quarantine, which would have allowed them to fully enter the NBA’s protective “bubble.”
Both players have since left the Disney World Campus to isolate at home or at isolation-housing.
The league said since July 1, a total of 19 NBA players had tested positive for the coronavirus during in-market testing.
