Los Angeles (AFP)
Brooklyn interior DeAndre Jordan contracted the Covid-19 and decided on Monday that he would not resume the NBA season on July 30 in Orlando where teammate Spencer Dinwiddie, also tested positive, fears he may not be able to either.
Black Monday for the Nets, whose ambitions to play the play-offs took a serious blow in the wing with these two announcements.
"I discovered (Sunday) evening and it was confirmed this Monday that I tested positive for Covid-19. As a result, I will not be in Orlando for the resumption of the season," Jordan wrote on his Twitter account.
The 31-year-old kingpin averaged 8.3 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Earlier Monday, back Spencer Dinwiddie, who played the Nets game in the absence of stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, also announced his positive test, saying he was experiencing "symptoms, including fever and pain chest, "at The Athletic.
Unlike Jordan, he did not announce his package, but "it is difficult to know if I can play or not" at Disney World, he conceded.
The 27-year-old, who observes a 14-day quarantine, will then be reassessed medically. Before Jordan and him, four other Nets players contracted the virus in mid-March including Kevin Durant.
Last Friday, the NBA announced that 16 players out of 302 (5.3%) tested positive after tests carried out the previous Tuesday, without revealing their identity.
This season, Dinwiddie, who can also play as a playmaker, has often shone in the Brooklyn jersey, including a series of 22 games at 25.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists with average points to 41 and 39 points in one game.
His absence would be very detrimental to the Nets, who will have to do without DeAndre Jordan but also Wilson Chandler in Florida, the winger having decided to stay with his family while the resurgence of the virus is rampant in this State.
The New York franchise, which is already looking for their replacements, is 7th in the Eastern conference and will be fighting for play-offs with Orlando (8th) and Washington (9th).
© 2020 AFP