The Los Angeles Lakers faced a scary moment when they were told to test for coronavirus due to four Brooklyn Nets testing positive as well.
Head coach Frank Vogel remained in communication with the team throughout their 14-day quarantine and discussed next steps with the group when it finally came to an end.
Vogel has been a great leader for this team throughout the 2019-20 NBA season, so it’s no surprise that he would continue to do so during such a stressful time. And while Vogel and the rest of the coaching staff followed health guidelines with regard to social distancing, only the players were tested.
Vogel revealed that he and the Lakers coaching staff did not get tested for the virus due to the recommendation from team doctors, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“To my knowledge, the rest of the staff was not tested,” Vogel said on a conference call with reporters Thursday. “The only people that were tested upon the news of the Brooklyn Nets’ positive test results were our players. That was … following the lead of our team doctor and the local health officials.”
Vogel also said that tests were given out on a case-by-case basis and that he felt safe enough with social distancing to not need a test:
“I reassured my family that I was in good health and obviously, while I had been around those guys, there had been some social distancing guidelines in place, so I felt fine and I also felt confident that a test wasn’t needed for me personally. But I think everybody is in a case-by-case basis with that.”
With the team’s 14-day quarantine over, it’s likely that the coaching staff didn’t really need to get tested as long as they followed the advice of health officials.
The Lakers will likely remain sheltered in place in order to stay as healthy as possible for a potential return to playing. Any illnesses to players could set back a return date even farther, eventually even canceling the season altogether.
If the Lakers want a chance to take home the 2020 NBA championship, they will do everything in their power to stay healthy between now and then.