Report: Celtics have first positive COVID test of 2021-2022 season
The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown for Saturday night’s preseason game against the Raptors. Brown has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. According to the team, Brown is asymptomatic.
Brown has received the COVID vaccine, which he confirmed during last week’s Media Day. “I have my own thoughts about it but I respect my teammates’ decisions and things like that,” Brown said at the time. “I know everybody has their own opinion about it but I think it’s a personal choice.”
With the positive test, Brown enters a league-mandated quarantine as a part of the NBA’s Health & Safety Protocols. The 24-year-old was the only player listed on the team’s injury report on Friday, which seemingly indicates there are no worries about contact tracing or close contact with teammates.
This positive test is the first for the Celtics since they began their preseason schedule last week. First-year head coach Ime Udoka had COVID just before training camp began, and held his portion of media day virtually. Last year, the team had three games rescheduled early in the season due to a number of COVID cases and contact tracing.
The Celtics will play the second of their four preseason games Saturday night, when they host the Raptors at TD Garden. Their season opener is just under two weeks away, in New York against the Knicks on Oct. 20.
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