Sixteen NBA players test positive for coronavirus one month before league’s return at Disney World

More than 300 players were tested in the latest round of checks

Sixteen NBA players have tested positive for Covid-19, the league said on Friday, a little over a month before the 2020 season is set to resume.

The 16 positive tests were out of 302 players tested on 23 June. The league did not disclose the identities of the players.

“Any player who tested positive will remain in self-isolation until he satisfies public health protocols for discontinuing isolation and has been cleared by a physician,” the NBA said in a statement.

Jabari Parker and Alex Len of the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers’ Malcolm Brogdon were confirmed on Wednesday to have tested positive, though it was not immediately clear when their tests took place.

Kings forward Parker said in a team statement that he had received the diagnosis “several days ago”.

The NBA is tentatively set to restart its suspended season on 31 July at Disney World in Florida, with players living, practising and playing at the resort to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus.

Under the plan, 22 of the NBA’s 30 teams will play eight seeding games to determine a 16-team play-off field that would follow the traditional post-season format and crown a champion in October.

Reuters