Sacramento Kings Cancel Practice Due to Team COVID-19 Outbreak

By Tadi Abedje Published: December 16, 2021

Sacramento Kings Cancel Practice Due to Team COVID-19 Outbreak

This photo taken Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016, the Sacramento Kings basketball team huddle in the practice facility at the new Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. The 17,500-seat arena, the teams new home, is the first professional sports venue powered completely by solar energy. The Kings' first game in the arena will be a preseason match against Maccabi Haifa, of Israel, Oct. 10. Their first regular-season home game is Oct. 27 against the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

In Summary

It is unknown how many Kings players are in the health and safety protocols as interim head Alvin Gentry tested positive for the virus.

The Sacramento Kings have become the latest NBA team to share their concerns about a COVID-19 outbreak.

As a result, the team canceled practice and shut down their facility because of a rise in COVID-19 cases, according to The Sacramento Bee.

Interim head coach Alvin Gentry, forward Marvin Bagley III and guard Terence Davis went into the league’s health and safety protocols before the team’s 119-105 victory over the Washington Wizards at Golden 1 Center on Dec. 15.

Players and staff continue to undergo PCR testing with same-day results as it is required for those who are vaccinated or not.

There is a huge concern for the Kings about the number of players who will be available to play on the court for its next home game against the Memphis Grizzlies and beyond, according to The Sacramento Bee.

The Chicago Bulls had two of their games postponed by the NBA because 10 of its players, including Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, were out because of health and safety protocols. Teams are required to have at least eight players available to play.

The league’s health and safety protocols require players to be out for at least 10 days or produce two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Even though the Kings have dealt with COVID-19 cases before, this is the first time they are experiencing a serious outbreak, according to The Sacramento Bee. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Gentry tested positive for the virus on Dec. 15.

This could be an ongoing issue for the NBA as cases continue to rise.