Two LA Lakers players test positive for Covid-19, will self-quarantine

Two athletes for the Los Angeles Lakers have contracted the coronavirus, the team said in a statement. Both remain without symptoms, but have been placed into isolation after the positive diagnosis.

“We learned today that two Lakers players have tested positive,” the team said in a statement on Thursday evening, adding that “all players and members of the Lakers staff are being asked to continue to observe self-quarantine and shelter-at-home guidelines.”

The team did not name either afflicted player.

The latest confirmed cases come after the team faced off with the Brooklyn Nets on March 10, four of whose players have also tested positive for the fast-spreading virus.

With 13 players and staff from six teams infected – including the Lakers, the Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics – the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) decision to suspend its season last week may have come too late to prevent the spread of the illness throughout the league.

“Public health authorities and team doctors have been concerned that, given NBA players' direct contact with each other and close interactions with the general public, in addition to their frequent travel, they could accelerate the spread of the virus,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement this week.

The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on sporting events the world over, prompting major leagues across Europe and North America – ranging from football (American and otherwise), hockey, basketball, motor sports, tennis and golf, among others – to cancel matches and even suspend seasons outright. While the 2020 Olympic Games have not yet been shuttered, the iconic competition may be the next on the coronavirus chopping block as the disease spreads far and wide.

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