The Denver Nuggets have closed down their facilities again after more personnel involved with the team tested positive for coronavirus.
The Denver Nuggets could potentially reopen their facilities later this week depending on a number of factors. At least two members of the team’s traveling party to Orlando have become sick, in addition to Nikola Jokic’s positive test.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, at least one other person associated with the team has tested positive since the team decided to close down the practice facilities on Saturday. The new series of positive tests likely puts the Nuggets’ participation in the league’s restart in Orlando in jeopardy.
Nikola Jokic’s father said of his son, “We are all fine. Nikola is fine. It’s been a week. What he had is gone. He is not showing symptoms. He is with us, and everything is fine.” Jokic’s availability for playing in Orlando is very much in the air.
This comes just weeks after Michael Malone tested positive for the COVID-19 antibodies. More and more players around the NBA continue to test positive, and several notable players such as Trevor Ariza, Avery Bradley and Davis Bertans have all elected to sit out and wait for the following season to start.
The Raptors Fred VanVleet also said of the resumption of play that it was “terrible timing.” He along with Kyrie Irving and others have said the decision to start play back up is a questionable choice. VanVleet said, “So I think, I mean, look, obviously we all know the right thing to do is to not play, to take a stand. Morally yes, that makes sense. But life goes on. We’re all young Black guys, and none of us want to give any money back and I don’t think that we should and I think that that money can be used in many different ways.”
The NBA is set to resume play on July 30th.