Sacramento Kings shut down practice facility after positive COVID-19 test
By Justin Fried
The Sacramento Kings have shut down their practice facility following a positive coronavirus test.
The Sacramento Kings are gearing up for the return of the NBA later this month, but that “gearing up” will have to take a backseat for the time being following a reported positive test for COVID-19 at their team facilities.
As first reported by Sam Amick of The Athletic on Sunday, the Kings became the seventh NBA team to shut down their facilities following concerns over the coronavirus.
Amick reported that a member of the “team’s traveling party” tested positive and the team is not expected to re-open their facility before their expected departure for Orlando on Wednesday.
This comes soon after three Kings players tested positive for COVID-19 including Buddy Hield, Jabari Parker, and Alex Len. It’s unclear if the fourth positive test was another player, a coach, or a staff member.
The Milwaukee Bucks opted to shut down their facilities on Sunday while the likes of the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, and Phoenix Suns all shut down as well last week.
Upon arriving in Orlando, the players will be quarantined in their hotel rooms until they record two negative COVID-19 tests 24 hours apart from one another. Following that, they will be allowed to roam around the hotel, but they’ll still be forced to abide by the league’s rules.
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The recent spike in cases has caused growing concern around the league as we’re just about three weeks away from the planned resumption of the league on July 30th.
Meanwhile, if games do go on as planned, the Kings undoubtedly have a challenging road ahead of them.
The Sacramento Kings are certainly considered a longshot to make the postseason.
Sacramento currently sits 3.5 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies who hold the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Along with the Kings, the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers are also 3.5 games back of a playoff spot while the San Antonio Spurs are 4.0 games back.
However, the Kings will have a more challenging schedule than most of their counterparts and don’t have the advantage of playing Memphis over their final eight-game stretch as they look to make up ground.
While it certainly hurts missing some extra practice time before the season resumes following a lengthy absence, perhaps it’s just best to keep players healthy and make sure they can actually participate come later this month.
The practice facilities may be closed for now, but Orlando awaits.