Buddy Hield.J
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Bahamian Chavano “Buddy” Hield tested positive for COVID-19, according to a tweet from NBA Insider Shams Charania of the Athletic on Wednesday night.
The Grand Bahamian is back in Sacramento, California, where he is self-isolated and is looking to rejoin the Sacramento Kings after his isolation period. The Kings are set to restart the 2019-2020 season with 21 other National Basketball Association (NBA) teams next month. He was the third Kings player to be tested positive for the virus that has reached all corners of the world. Also testing positive from the Kings are forward Jabari Parker and center Alex Len.
Hield received many well wishes from his fans on his social media platforms, looking for him to make a speedy and full recovery.
Other NBA players who have recently tested positive for COVID-19 include Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, Miami Heart forward Derrick Jones Jr. and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
The NBA suspended its regular season on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The league is set to resume its season on July 30 at the ESPN World Wide Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
The league and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) approved the restart that included 22 teams returning to play eight games, a possible play-in tournament and a traditional playoff format.
It was a busy day for the NBA on Tuesday, as all players on the 22 teams selected to play in Orlando, were tested for COVID-19.
The United States has experienced a spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases recently. Wednesday was the highest one-day total since April 25 with 38,115 confirmed cases. Florida, California and Oklahoma had record highs in new single-day cases on Wednesday.
It was almost two weeks ago when the Grand Bahamian showed that he was ready for the season when he played in the Skinz League Tournament in Edmond, Oklahoma. He was impressive, netting 45 points that included 13 made three-pointers. His team won 82-72.
The other 21 teams that will be in the NBA’s bubble in Orlando are the Boston Celtics, the Pacers, the Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Toronto Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks, the Nuggets, the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Washington Wizards, the Brooklyn Nets, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Orlando Magic, the Portland Trailblazers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Phoenix Suns and the Jazz.
The NBA is still working on completing the schedule for the eight games each team will play.
Teams are scheduled to arrive at Disney World from July 7-9 and training camps begin on July 9.
The Kings sit in the 10th spot in the Western Conference of the NBA with a 28-36 win-loss record – three and a half games behind the 32-33 Grizzlies who occupy the eighth and final spot in the west. Sitting six games behind the Grizzles at 26-29 is Bahamian DeAndre Ayton’s Phoenix Suns.
Hield is the Mountain Dew NBA Three-Point Contest Champion this season. He is averaging 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He is a key cog in the Kings’ plan with those numbers, now coming off the bench as the Kings’ sixth man. The Grand Bahamian is known for his long-distance bombs. He has connected on 244 three-point shots this season, second in the league, and 34 three-pointers shy of his career-high and franchise record of 278 from last season. It was the seventh most prolific shooting performance from downtown in NBA history. Hield is also the fastest player in league history to reach 800 made three-pointers. He accomplished that in 296 games.
Once healthy, Hield said he will be looking to perform at a high level to get his team into the playoffs.