Aussie NBA star Josh Giddey caught in OKC’s worrying Covid-19 outbreak

Covid-19 continues to decimate the NBA and Aussie young gun Josh Giddey has been forced out as his team is rocked by the virus.

Josh Giddey and the Thunder have been hit by Covid. (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Australian teenager Josh Giddey has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols as Covid-19 continues to cause havoc within the league.

The 19-year-old, who has starred for Oklahoma City Thunder in his debut season in the US, joined coach Mark Daigneault on the sideline as the team faces its first major Covid-19 outbreak.

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Giddey is one of five Thunder players out because of the virus, along with Darius Bazley, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Tre Mann and Aleksej Pokusevski.

Covid-19 has decimated teams and forced games to be postponed. As of Wednesday morning (AEDT), Associated Press basketball writer Tim Reynolds reported on Twitter 546 players had appeared in at least one NBA game this season — that’s the most of any season in history and the number is set to rise.

Despite the huge number of positive cases, the NBA has reduced quarantine time from 10 days to six for vaccinated players and coaches who come into contact with Covid-19 or contract the disease but are asymptomatic, ESPN reported this week.

Teams were informed in a league memo obtained by ESPN about the move, which came the same day the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the isolation time for those with asymptomatic Covid-19 from 10 days to five.

Josh Giddey and the Thunder have been hit hard by Covid-19. (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)

The quicker return time for players to active status was agreed to by the league and the players union. It comes after the NBA has postponed nine games because at least one team could not field the minimum eight players due to Covid-19 absences.

People can also move out of Covid-19 quarantine with two negative test results 24 hours or more apart.

The NBA is dealing with record numbers of players entering its Covid-19 health and safety protocols, with 205 for the season, 192 in December and 169 of those doing so within the past two weeks, according to ESPN.

A one-day season-high of 27 players entered protocols on Sunday, 10 more than Thursday’s prior mark, ESPN noted.

With AFP