NBA Star Kevin Durant to Miss Four Games Due to Potential Coronavirus Exposure

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant will miss four games while in isolation after being exposed to someone who had coronavirus, The Athletic reported on Monday.

Durant — who is in his second season with Brooklyn — was one of the first NBA players to be diagnosed with COVID-19 in March.

Following this latest scare, the 32-year-old has tested negative for coronavirus three times and has antibodies in his system, according to ESPN. Despite this, he still has to remain in isolation for a week due to league protocols.

The Nets are currently in a two-game losing streak, with an overall 3-4 record to start their season. Without Durant, a two-time NBA champion, the team is at risk of slipping further down in the Eastern Conference standings. During the four-game stretch without their star, the Nets will face the Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Oklahoma City Thunder (Durant's former team).

Durant issued a warning to others about the rapidly spreading virus after testing positive back in March of last year.

"Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine," he told reporter Shams Charania of The Athletic after the news broke. "We're going to get through this."

Durant and three other players on the Nets had tested positive for coronavirus just days after playing the Los Angeles Lakers.

"All four players are presently isolated and under the care of team physicians," the Nets said in a statement posted by multiple reporters at the time. "The organization is currently notifying anyone who has had known contact with the players, including recent opponents, and is working closely with state and local health authorities on reporting."

"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," their statement continued.

Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert was the first player to test positive for the respiratory virus around March 11 and the 2020 NBA season abruptly came to a halt for months.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 20.8 million Americans have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of 2020, according to a New York Times database. Another 353,730 people living in the United States have died from it in the same time span, with 2,048 of those deaths coming on Jan. 4 alone.

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