LOS ANGELES — The majority of the Los Angeles Lakers players were tested for the coronavirus Wednesday morning, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports.
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The tests took place with medical personnel outside the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo, Calif. The procedure involved inserting a Q-tip-like swab all the way up a player’s nose, a procedure the person described as “painful.”
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The person was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the testing or procedure publicly. ESPN reported players never left their cars while the test was administered.
The Lakers’ coaching, training, and behind-the-scenes staff members were not tested.
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When the Lakers learned that four Brooklyn Nets players tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday, they made the tests available for players since they had a game against Brooklyn last week in Los Angeles.
It is not immediately clear where the Lakers procured the tests or when they will receive the results. Players will remain under quarantine for at least the next two weeks.
Kevin Durant was among the four Nets who tested positive for COVID-19 about a week after sitting on the bench during the Lakers-Nets game. Seven players have tested positive, according to the NBA, including Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, teammate Donovan Mitchell, and Detroit’s Christian Wood.
The Lakers were among several NBA teams that had not tested players initially out of sensitivity for the limited supply of kits, particularly in California.
When the NBA suspended its season after Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus, the Lakers had its employees work from home. The Lakers’ coaching and the medical staff kept daily contact with players and allowed players to go to the facility for treatment and individual workouts.
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