NEW YORK (AP) — Four Brooklyn Nets players, including Kevin Durant, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to seven known players in the NBA.The Nets did not name the players Tuesday, but Durant confirmed he was one of them to The Athletic, saying: “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We're going to get through this.”The Nets announced that one player is exhibiting symptoms, while the other three are asymptomatic. All four players have been isolated and are under the care of team physicians.“The health of our players and staff is of the highest priority to the organization and the team is doing everything within its power to ensure that those affected receive the best care possible,” the Nets said in a statement.For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.... [More]

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz says he showed no symptoms of being sick before testing positive for the coronavirus, and he continues to have no signs of illness since going into isolation.Mitchell, speaking to ABC’s “Good Morning America" in an interview broadcast Monday, also revealed that it “took awhile for me to kind of cool off” at Rudy Gobert, his All-Star teammate who was the first NBA player to have a positive test for the virus revealed. Gobert has said in recent days that he did not take the threat of the illness seriously.“I’m glad he’s doing OK. I’m glad I’m doing well,” said Mitchell, who did not say if he has spoken to Gobert in recent days. He has seen video updates Gobert has posted to social media updating fans about his own condition.Meanwhile, a person familiar with the situation said the league's Board of Governors scheduled a teleconference for Tuesday to share various updates with one another and likely discuss next steps. The person confirmed the... [More]

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz says he showed no symptoms of being sick before testing positive for the coronavirus, and he continues to have no signs of illness since going into isolation.Mitchell, speaking to ABC’s “Good Morning America" in an interview broadcast Monday, also revealed that it “took awhile for me to kind of cool off” at Rudy Gobert, his All-Star teammate who was the first NBA player to have a positive test for the virus revealed. Gobert has said in recent days that he did not take the threat of the illness seriously.“I’m glad he’s doing OK. I’m glad I’m doing well,” said Mitchell, who did not say if he has spoken to Gobert in recent days. He has seen video updates Gobert has posted to social media updating fans about his own condition.Mitchell said he continues to feel fine, and that the worst physical issue he’s had during this process was going through the test for COVID-19 itself. He said getting swabbed was so uncomfortable that it left him in tears.“I’m... [More]

Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz offered the first of what he said will be “many steps” he will take to help with the coronavirus pandemic, pledging Saturday to donate more than $500,000 to relief efforts.Gobert, who was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19 — a diagnosis that prompted the NBA to suspend its season for at least a month — said he is giving $200,000 to part-time employees at the arena that plays host to Jazz games to help cover their lost wages.He also pledged $100,000 each to assist families affected by the pandemic in Oklahoma City, where he was when the diagnosis came, and Utah. He also is giving 100,000 Euros ($111,450 USD) to relief efforts in France, earmarking that for childcare assistance to health care workers as well as for caregivers to the elderly.“I am humbled by the tireless efforts and care of people around the globe for those affected by COVID-19, especially my own communities of Utah and France, in addition to my appreciation for the state of Oklahoma... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday night that the league’s hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic will likely last at least a month, or roughly what would have been the remainder of an uninterrupted regular season.“What we determined today is that this hiatus will be, most likely, at least 30 days," Silver said on TNT's “Inside The NBA" while making his first public comments since the league suspended play Wednesday night after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus, or COVID-19. A second Jazz player, Donovan Mitchell, said Thursday that he has also tested positive.Later, in an open letter to NBA fans, Silver said “we intend to resume the season, if and when it becomes safe for all concerned."Silver did not say if the league intends for the regular season to resume or if the NBA, should it return to action, would immediately go into postseason play. It's also unclear if play will be able to resume with fans in the stands, something the... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday night that the league’s hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic will likely last at least a month, or roughly what would have been the remainder of an uninterrupted regular season.“What we determined today is that this hiatus will be, most likely, at least 30 days," Silver said on TNT's “Inside The NBA" while making his first public comments since the league suspended play Wednesday night after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus, or COVID-19. A second Jazz player, Donovan Mitchell, said Thursday that he has also tested positive.Silver did not say if the league intends for the regular season to resume or if the NBA, should it return to action, would immediately go into postseason play. It's also unclear if play will be able to resume with fans in the stands, something the league's owners were willing to go without prior to Gobert's diagnosis and the escalation of the situation. The 30-day minimum hiatus... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Vince Carter leaned back in his seat, dabbed his eyes and struggled to contain his emotions.He knew his playing days were coming to an end.Yet, after almost 22 seasons in the NBA, longer than anyone else has ever played the game at its highest level, this still seemed too quick, too sudden.He kept going back to one word Wednesday night.“Weird.”Carter, closing out his brilliant career with the struggling Atlanta Hawks, was a minor piece to the puzzle on an evening of fast-moving developments that brought the fear and misery of the coronavirus to the doorstep of the game he plays.It started with the NCAA making the shocking decision to play its signature men's basketball tournament — March Madness and the Final Four — in empty arenas around the land. There are certainly doubts that it will actually be played all.Then, after word came down that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had fallen ill, the NBA called a halt to its season at the conclusion of Wednesday night's games, with... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, like his players, heard about the NBA's decision to suspend the season while in the third quarter of their game against the Denver Nuggets. That ended up being the last game completed in the league Wednesday night, and the Mavericks avoided their first three-game losing streak before the NBA season's suspension “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. “Very concerned, but it’s not necessarily about basketball. Obviously this is much bigger than basketball,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said.“This is because of just the league being concerned about the health of fans, players and arena personnel," Carlisle said. “There’s going to be more meetings and more talk tomorrow about what the next steps are. There’s no timetable.” Boban Marjanovic had 31 points and 17 rebounds, Luka Doncic scored 28 points and the Mavericks won 113-97, which was secondary considering the entire situation. Nuggets forward... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the presumptive positive test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Boban Marjanovic had 31 points and 17 rebounds, Luka Doncic scored 28 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Denver Nuggets 113-97 on Wednesday night before the suspension of the NBA season because of the coronavirus. The Mavericks were in the second half of their game when the NBA announced plans to suspend the season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. Jamal Murray had 25 points to lead Denver, and Will Barton had 23.Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told national and regional television broadcasts that players were aware of the situation during the game, and were talking about it on the bench. “It's about the country and life in general ... This is bigger than just the NBA," Cuban told ESPN during an in-game interview. Cuban said he didn't anticipate the players being allowed to leave town, saying the only way to have any control and know about their health was to know where they are and who they are working with. Dallas avoided... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the presumptive positive test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.B. Bickerstaff's impressive start with the Cavaliers has been rewarded.Bickerstaff, who has Cleveland playing its best basketball this season since taking over when John Beilein suddenly resigned last month, agreed to a multi-year contract with the team on Tuesday.The Cavs announced the deal with Bickerstaff shortly before their game in Chicago, where they started a six-game trip.Terms of the deal were not immediately known.Although they still have one of the NBA's worst records, the Cavs have shown major improvement in a short period under Bickerstaff. They're 5-5 going into Tuesday's game against the Bulls and the Cavs have had more energy and exhibited more togetherness than at any time for Beilein.“They bought in automatically,” Bickerstaff said before tip-off in Chicago. "They’re competing, playing together and doing all the things we’ve been trying to push. They’ve led the way and made it easy for us as coaches. It’s exciting just to be a part of it. They’re obviously... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.B. Bickerstaff's impressive start with the Cavaliers has been rewarded.Bickerstaff, who has Cleveland playing its best basketball this season since taking over when John Beilein suddenly resigned last month, agreed to a multi-year contract with the team on Tuesday.The Cavs announced the deal with Bickerstaff shortly before their game in Chicago, where they started a six-game trip.Although they still have one of the NBA's worst records, the Cavs have shown major improvement in a short period under Bickerstaff. They're 5-5 going into Tuesday's game against the Bulls and the Cavs have had more energy and exhibited more togetherness than at any time for Beilein.Bickerstaff was promoted after Beilein stepped down after 54 games in his first season. He had been serving as an associate head coach under the 67-year-old Beilein, who cited personal health issues as one of his reasons for leaving a job he thought he was ready to handle."We are very fortunate to have someone of J.B.’s... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.B. Bickerstaff's impressive start with the Cavaliers has been rewarded.Bickerstaff, who has Cleveland playing its best basketball this season since taking over when John Beilein suddenly resigned last month, has agreed to a multi-year contract with the team, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.The Cavs were expected to announce the deal before their game Tuesday night in Chicago, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract terms have not been finalized.Bickerstaff was promoted after Beilein stepped down after 54 games in his first season. He had been serving as an associate head coach under the 67-year-old Beilein, who cited personal health issues as one of his reasons for leaving a job he thought he was ready to handle.Under Bickerstaff, the Cavs are 5-5 going into Tuesday's game against the Bulls and they've showed more energy and togetherness than at any time under Beilein.Over the weekend, the Cavs won... [More]