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Kevin Durant was out, then in, then finally out of Friday night’s Nets-Raptors game in Brooklyn. The Nets forward was rocked as the league waited to know if anyone who had contact with him earlier today had tested positive for COVID-19.
Durant was held off at the start of the game, only to be cleared about eight minutes after the start of the first quarter (by Newsday). He played 19 minutes before being removed in the second half in accordance with league health and safety protocol.
The Nets and Raptors continued to play after Durant was taken out of the game.
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The NBA said in a statement (posted by Shams Charania of The Athletic) that Durant was in contact with someone on Friday who returned an inconclusive test result before the game. The test result turned positive during the match. Durant himself had tested negative three times in the previous 24 hours, including two negative PCR tests on Friday.
“Under the league’s health and safety protocols, we do not require a player to be quarantined until close contact has a confirmed positive test,” the league said in the statement. . “During the match, a positive result was returned for the person Durant interacted with this afternoon. Once that test was confirmed positive, out of caution, Durant was removed from the game and contact tracing is underway. course to determine if he was… in fact close contact with the person involved. “
Durant responded by blowing up the league in a tweet.
Before that, KD let his frustration show in this two-word tweet:
After the game, Durant’s teammates shared their bewilderment at what had happened.
James Harden told reporters that he thought the game was going to be postponed.
“They just said contact tracing, and I’m like, ‘Well, if it’s contact tracing, then we’re all in the locker room together. I mean, there’s no game. ‘He’s not going to be able to play,’ “he said.
Joe harris called the “weird” situation.
“And for him not to start, and then to be able to come in, play, and then be taken out of the game, it really doesn’t make sense,” he said.
The league announced wednesday that no new player out of 482 had tested positive for coronavirus since January 27. Durant was one of the first NBA players to test positive for COVID-19; the Nets announced this test result last March.
This article has been updated.
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