Friday 26 June 2020 07:59, UK
Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr, the reigning NBA Slam Dunk champion, has tested positive for coronavirus, multiple media outlets have reported.
Jones was said to be asymptomatic, and still hopes to join the team after a quarantine period. Per NBA guidelines, players who test positive are required to self-isolate for two weeks.
The Heat tested their players on Tuesday as part of the ramp up for the NBA's return to action at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.
The NBA will have 22 of its 30 teams report to the Disney campus for training by July 11, with games to begin on July 30.
Jones, 23, is enjoying the best season of his four-year NBA career, putting up career-best stats for scoring (8.9 points per game), rebounds (4.2 per game), assists (1.1 per game) and steals (1.1 per game). He has appeared in 51 games in 2019-20, making 15 starts.
After playing his first one-and-a-half NBA seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Jones joined the Heat in December 2017 as a free agent.
News of Jones' positive test follows similar confirmations and reports in recent days.
Denver Nuggets All-Star center Nikola Jokic, Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, Sacramento Kings forward Jabari Parker and center Alex Len all acknowledged positive tests. The Athletic reported that Kings guard Buddy Hield also had the virus.
Multiple media outlets reported that unnamed players on other teams also tested positive.
