Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Why NBA players can get coronavirus tests but regular Americans are struggling to

Why NBA players can get coronavirus tests but regular Americans are struggling to

Because of a widespread testing shortage, Americans across the country with symptoms of the novel coronavirus have struggled to get tested.

Yet on Tuesday, the NBA's Brooklyn Nets announced that four of its players had tested positive for the virus, including three who had no symptoms at all. Last week, the NBA tested the entire Utah Jazz team after center Rudy Gobert tested positive, and another team that had recently played the Jazz also tested its entire traveling party.

The contrast between regular Americans' struggle to get tested and the NBA's capacity to test entire teams regardless of symptoms set off a mix of frustration and resentment toward the elite, best encapsulated in a tweet from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"We wish them a speedy recovery," de Blasio tweeted. "But, with all due respect, an entire NBA team should NOT get tested for COVID-19 while there are critically ill patients waiting to be tested. Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick."

Public health officials don't agree with the mayor's assessment, according to NBA spokesman Mike Bass.

The NBA postponed its season after a member of the Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus on March 11, 2020.

"Public health authorities and team doctors have been concerned that, given NBA players' direct contact with each other and close interactions with the general public, in addition to their frequent travel, they could accelerate the spread of the virus," Bass said.

"Following two players testing positive last week, others were tested and five additional players tested positive. Hopefully, by these players choosing to make their test results public, they have drawn attention to the critical need for young people to follow CDC recommendations in order to protect others, particularly those with underlying health conditions and the elderly."
In other words, part of the impetus for testing NBA players is that they could become "super-spreaders" who unknowingly infect many other people.


Testing shortage for ordinary Americans


The scarcity of coronavirus testing in the US has been readily apparent for the past few weeks. Many Americans suffering symptoms associated with what's officially known as Covid-19 said they are angry and frustrated after trying to get tested only to be turned away, as CNN reported last week.

"No, we don't have enough test kits and neither does any other state, and no, the federal government does not have an answer," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday. "We are behind, and that's going to continue to be a problem that we're all trying to address."

While US health officials say testing is ramping up - and while drive-through testing in several states is rolling out - a shortage of available testing remains an issue, CNN has found.

Given the overall shortage, coronavirus tests in the US are being given to those who reach certain criteria, including people who have been exposed to someone who has already tested positive. That, too, helps explain how the NBA players exposed to Gobert were able to get tests.

Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, called the current testing capacity in the US "abysmal for everyday Americans."

"Right now, we are playing catch-up and testing people who are very sick," he said. "We need to make testing available so that we get to the frontier of the cases, so that the moment someone develops symptoms, we test and quarantine them ... that's how you nip an epidemic in the bud."

Amid this shortage, the NBA has conducted testing of several teams in the wake of Gobert's positive results. And it has had the support of officials and medical experts the entire way.

Last week, the NBA's Utah Jazz said the initial decision to test Gobert for coronavirus was made "with NBA medical staff and Oklahoma health officials." Afterward, state health officials tested all members of the Jazz's traveling party and confirmed that Donovan Mitchell, who had no symptoms, had also tested positive for coronavirus.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox praised the "prudent decision to test the entire team," they said in a joint statement.

The Toronto Raptors, who played the Jazz in Utah days before the positive tests, said that their traveling party was also all tested for coronavirus. They all tested negative, the team said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×