After exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is facing a seven-day quarantine that’ll force him to miss the next four games, sources told ESPN.
After losing four of five games to drop to under .500, the Nets will be without Durant for a run of games beginning on Tuesday against Utah and running through Philadelphia (Thursday), Memphis (Friday) and Oklahoma City (Sunday).
As long as Durant continues to test negative for the coronavirus, the soonest he can return comes against the Denver Nuggets on January 12.
Durant, who had COVID-19 in May, has continued to register coronavirus antibodies and tested negative for the virus three times in recent days, sources said.
Family members and close contacts of NBA players are allowed to be regularly tested for the coronavirus, so once an individual tests positive, the player enters contact tracing/quarantine protocols.
The NBA’s COVID-19 protocols do not distinguish between players who have antibodies and those who do not.
According to the Center for Disease Control, antibodies are “proteins that help fight off infections and can provide protection against getting that disease again.” Scientists are still unsure what degree of immunity antibodies provide against being infected again.
Durant, who missed the entirety of the 2019-20 season rehabbing an Achilles injury, has had a torrid offensive start to the season, averaging 28.2 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
