Charles Barkley: TNT analyst awaiting coronavirus test results
TNT NBA analyst and NBA Hall of Fame forward Charles Barkley is currently in self-quarantine after feeling ill in recent days. Speaking on Thursday night’s “NBA on TNT” broadcast, Barkley said he took a coronavirus test late Thursday afternoon and is still awaiting the results.
Calling into Thursday night’s show, Barkley said he spent the earlier part of the week in New York City before traveling to Atlanta on Wednesday.
He consulted with doctors and people at Turner about the next steps he should take. They instructed him to self-quarantine himself for 48 hours.
“I’m just kinda in limbo right now,” Barkley said. “I’m really hoping it was just a bug.”
Barkley’s decision comes among global sweeping changes as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In the sports world specifically, numerous leagues have postponed their season or suspended operations. The 2020 men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments were also canceled on Thursday. Barkley was expected to be a part of the 2020 men’s tournament coverage.
The NBA was the first major sports league to suspend their season, doing so on Wednesday evening after Jazz center Rudy Gobert reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
On Thursday, Gobert’s Jazz teammate, Donovan Mitchell also reportedly tested positive for coronavirus.
The NBA has suspended its gameplay for at least 30 days, Adam Silver confirmed on Thursday’s “NBA on TNT” broadcast.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the NBA has informed all of its teams of a number policies effective immediately, through March 16:
- All players must remain in market of team
- Players remain home as long as possible
- No group workouts or practices
- Team physicians and trainers speak to each player once a day
As of Thursday afternoon, there were more than 127,000 confirmed cases of the virus globally across at least 111 countries, according to the New York Times.