In a report by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that first aired on Inside the NBA on TNT, it appears that Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is on his way to the Orlando campus.
Weeks after testing positive for COVID-19 while visiting with friends and family in Serbia, Jokic experienced travel issues that prevented him from returning to the United States. While, according to guidelines put forth by the NBA, Jokic wouldn’t be able to travel with his teammates after experiencing a positive coronavirus test, it was surprising to hear that Jokic wouldn’t arrive in Orlando at a similar time to the rest of the organization.
As it turns out, Jokic is fine and in good health, according to Haynes as well as information shared by new Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth on Wednesday. The extent of his travel issues remain unknown, but with the big Serbian center en route to Orlando, those issues will soon be forgotten due to the chaos of the next few weeks with 22 teams settling into a new routine.
When Jokic does arrive in Orlando, he will be asked to quarantine for an additional four days and to test negative for COVID-19 on several occasions before he can rejoin the Nuggets. The team will begin their preparation for the quarantine playoffs with their first practice on Friday afternoon. Jokic will not be in attendance but will join the Nuggets soon after.
The Nuggets will play the first of three exhibition games against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, July 22nd. The first of Denver’s eight seeding games is on Saturday, August 1st against the Miami Heat. Jokic should be ready to participate in all game activities in plenty of time.
