Just around a day ago, Russell Westbrook announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He said he is serving quarantine, and fortunately was otherwise feeling all right.

It sucks to hear that the Rockets superstar is the latest NBA player to come down with the disease, but it’s not exactly a surprise. Westbrook has been one of many NBA players who have taken to the streets to join the protests against the murder of George Floyd, and may well have contracted it from those activities.

However, it also does mean that there could be even more hidden cases of COVID-19 within the NBA player community – particularly among those who exercised their right to stand up against oppression.

For their part, though, it seems like the NBA are adhering to their strict testing policies, and aren’t afraid to quarantine players in the bubble that do not follow safety protocol. Sacramento Kings players Richaun Holmes was the latest to get in trouble for this, for something as egregious as going to go pick up a food delivery past the bubble “line”.

We’re all excited at the prospect of potentially seeing live NBA games again in a couple of weeks, but Westbrook’s diagnosis is a stern reminder that COVID-19 is still here, and it’s not going to go away soon.

I’m still cautiously (perhaps foolishly) optimistic that things will work out for the league, but there could realistically be a few more cases unveiled in the days leading up to the restart.

While I certainly appreciate the players that have chosen to complete the 2019-20 season, I also have to empathize with those that chose not to play. There are things bigger than the game of basketball, and the global pandemic is one of them.

For now, I just hope that Westbrook recovers quickly, safely, and doesn’t run into any complications from the virus.