As the Kings were gearing-up preparations to depart Sacramento for Orlando, Florida on Wednesday in hopes to resume the NBA season, the team suffered a concerning setback.
According to multiple sources, the Kings closed their practice facility at Golden 1 Center on Sunday after a positive coronavirus test within the team’s traveling party for Orlando. It is not expected to re-open before the team departs for Walt Disney World Resorts in Florida.
The identity of the person to test positive and their role with the organization is not yet known. NBA teams competing in Orlando consist of a 35 member traveling party.
The Kings become the seventh organization of the 22 NBA teams scheduled to compete in Orlando at the end of the month to close their training sites because of positive tests, since players returned to their home markets on June 22.
Sacramento has already had three players test positive for coronavirus.
Jabari Parker, Buddy Hield and Alex Len each suffered positive COVID-19 tests in the first week of NBA testing.
The health and safety guidelines in place by the NBA mandate that any member of the team’s traveling party who receives a positive test for COVID-19 must quarantine and have two negative tests before receiving medical clearance to leave for Orlando.
Orlando hopes to serve as a bubble city environment for the NBA to resume its season, with eight games remaining before the postseason is set to begin.
Sacramento (28-36) sits 3.5 games outside of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, currently held by the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Kings would play in three inter-squad scimmages, the first scheduled for July 22, before resuming their season July 31 when they meet the San Antonio Spurs.
News of the Kings closing their practice facility was first reported by The Athletic.
Follow Sean Cunningham on Twitter: @SeanCunningham
