Multiple NBA teams have been tested for COVID-19, an illness caused by a novel strain of the coronavirus, but the Timberwolves are not one of them, a team spokesperson said Thursday.
With news Thursday that Boston's Marcus Smart and two unnamed Lakers tested positive — along with three members of the 76ers organization whose identities were not made public — 10 NBA players are known to have tested positive, including Nets star Kevin Durant.
But the Wolves did not recently face any of the teams on which players tested positive, and no players have shown symptoms, the spokesperson said, so there has been no dire reason to test.
The NBA has come under criticism from officials like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who wondered how the NBA had such quick access to testing amid shortages across the country.
Commissioner Adam Silver addressed that in an ESPN interview on Wednesday.
"It's unfortunate we're at this point in society where it's triage when it comes to testing, which is a fundamental issue obviously as there are insufficient tests," Silver said. "I'd only say in the case of the NBA, we've been following the recommendations of public health officials."
So have the Wolves, whose practice facility already had been closed to players and staff when the NBA instituted leaguewide closings that begin Friday and last until further notice.
The Wolves are in daily contact with players, who were allowed to leave for home earlier this week if they so chose. But the league has encouraged players to stay in the market of their team. The Wolves have been coordinating workouts players could do from home and providing them with meals and meal plans daily.
