Nikola Jokic Tests Positive for Coronavirus
With the NBA set to restart, players are contemplating on what to do with themselves: should they sit out, or play? There is a lot that goes into the decision. Title chances, injury concerns, upcoming free agency, etcetera. Still, one of the biggest deterrents for players has to be coronavirus. Sadly for them, those concerns won’t be going away anytime soon. That’s true especially after Denver Nuggets’ star center Nikola Jokic recently tested positive for the virus.
ESPN story on Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic testing positive for coronavirus, awaiting clearance to return to the United States. https://t.co/6fNVzdefzK
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2020
This could potentially throw a wrench in the NBA’s plans to restart. I am not saying it will, but if guys- like Jokic- keep popping up with the virus, there could be some players that would prefer not to risk their safety for the sake of a mini “bubble tourney”.
Still, that depends on how worried players are. The NBA has set up plenty of precautions to make sure that the players stay as healthy as possible.
For example, they are issuing out rings to players that appear straight out of a movie.
NBA players will be wearing “titanium rings, reportedly made by Oura, capable of predicting COVID-19 symptoms up to three days in advance with 90% accuracy, according to the company.” https://t.co/0rZbimc8mZ
— Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga) June 18, 2020
That is all well and good but it won’t stop players from getting sick. Hopefully not many players do deal with the illness, but the risk is still there. And with this new Jokic news, players could be ready to change their mind on whether or not to tie up their sneakers. After all, these athletes are people too.
-Jarrod Ribaudo (@Jribs53)
Featured image courtesy of Twitter / @mldiffley