Phoenix star Devin Booker confirmed on his Twitch channel that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is set to miss training camp.
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The defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns will be without star guard Devin Booker when training camp opens early next week. He is currently in the health and safety protocols, the team announced on Sunday. Later on, Booker confirmed on his Twitch channel that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He said that he feels well but has no sense of taste or smell.
Booker will also not be able to participate in media day, which is set for Monday. At this point, it’s unclear when Booker will be able to rejoin the team. Looking ahead, their first preseason game is scheduled for Monday, October 4, against the Sacramento Kings, while opening night for the regular season is Wednesday, October 20, against the Denver Nuggets. Booker noted that he tested positive a week ago, so based on that timeline it’s possible he’ll miss one or more preseason contests. However, he should be back well before the regular season begins.
Though the NBA had hoped to return to normal this season, the continued presence of COVID-19 means that won’t be possible. Heading into training camp, 90 percent of players are fully vaccinated, according to multiple reports. Convincing the remaining players to get vaccinated has been a challenge for the league. It’s not known whether Booker has the vaccine or not.
To this point, the league has not implemented a vaccine mandate, however, the league is abiding by local health regulations, which means that players in certain cities — New York and San Francisco, for example — will need to be vaccinated in order to play in home games. Andrew Wiggins and Kyrie Irving are two high-profile players who might be affected by those rules.
It’s not clear how all of this will play out as the season goes along, but the Booker situation is a reminder that COVID-19 is still going to have an impact.
Kyrie Irving, according to reports, is unvaccinated. If Irving doesn’t get at least one dose of the vaccine before the season starts, not only would he be subject to the stricter guidelines set by the league, but he would also be unable to play in any of the Nets home games, per the New York City vaccinate mandate.
While Irving is still reluctant to get vaccinated, Nets general manager Sean Marks said recently that the team “felt confident” that all players would be vaccinated ahead of training camp which would put no limitations on participation. Right now, though, it appears like they’re having some difficulty convincing Irving to get vaccinated.
