Kevin Durant and three other Brooklyn Nets players who tested positive for COVID-19 are now symptom free, general manager Sean Marks said via a media conference call on Wednesday.
Though cleared from COVID-19, the health and safety of everyone in the organization remains the top priority.
“So far, everybody is healthy,” Marks said. “The guys who have tested positive have cleared their 14 days of self-isolation and quarantine. They’re still practicing their social distancing like the rest of us, but they’re cleared just like the rest of the team and the staff right now.”
While staying inside, Marks and those in the organization continue to do everything they can to stay healthy.
“As it pertains to the team, like all of us, we’re trying to deal with this as best we can,” he said. “I have been pleasantly surprised and really proud with how our guys and staff have acted over the last three weeks, and even months, starting back in Los Angeles when we left to go to Golden State.”
The process of keeping everyone safe began immediately as the suspension of NBA game play was announced on March 11. Shortly after, the city of New York followed suit by enforcing new safety measures.
“I thought the best thing we could do after New York went into lockdown was for everyone to take some free time to figure out their personal lives,” Marks said. “We approached it in a way where everybody could get their personal lives together, reach out to family and loved ones.”
New York’s stay-at-home order impacts many within the organization, but maybe none more so than the three international players with family overseas. The group includes Rodions Kurucs, Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Dzanan Musa.
“I had a conversation with those three last night, and they are coping with this,” Marks said. “But that’s really difficult because their families are completely separated and not even in the same time zone. The best thing we can do is stay here, support them and support their families.”
Supporting each other has been a big theme during this time, Marks said, as the players, staff and ownership look to provide help to the community.
“The whole Alibaba Group [Nets governor Joe Tsai is Co-Founder and Executive Vice Chairman] has been helping with all of the New York City hospitals,” he remarked. “Governor [Andrew] Cuomo has already mentioned some things that the Alibaba Group has been doing on a humanitarian level, which has been remarkable.”
Although basketball has currently taken a backseat to health and safety, Marks said the Nets are preparing for whatever the future could hold.
“We’re just going to prepare for every different scenario, which has given us a lot of great discussions and debates,” Marks said. “But again, being prepared as best we can is going to be really important.”
For the athletes, Marks said, it’s largely up to them to stay safe and stay in shape for a return to basketball.
“Our performance team has really taken it to a completely different level with their care and understanding,” he said. “They’re putting themselves at risk by delivering meals, bikes or exercise programs, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by our players.”
