Nikola Jokic, returning from a positive coronavirus test, completed his quarantine period Tuesday and watched his Denver Nuggets teammates practice at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando.
Jokic tested positive for COVID-19 while in his native Serbia last month, according to multiple media reports. He traveled to central Florida separately from his teammates, arriving Saturday, then was quarantined while waiting to pass two coronavirus tests in a 48-hour period.
The Nuggets tweeted photos of a mask-wearing Jokic out of his room in the NBA’s Disney “bubble” on Tuesday night, with the caption, “Look who’s here …”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone has maintained all along that the club’s All-Star center has stayed healthy despite the positive test.
Malone said Saturday, “So much is being made of Nikola’s weight loss. I think there was a picture that spread like wildfire while he was home in Serbia. The funny thing for me is long before the league was suspended on March 11, Nikola had lost a ton of weight from the beginning of the season. … To his credit, he just continued to be disciplined and focused with his routine during the suspension and hiatus. …
“Nikola had committed himself to losing that weight. From the beginning of the season until now, he has lost a considerable amount of weight, probably in the best shape of his life.”
Jokic, 25, is averaging 20.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game this season. In five NBA seasons, all with Denver, he is averaging 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
The Nuggets (43-22) sat in third place in the Western Conference when the NBA suspended the season on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are scheduled to return to action Aug. 1 against the Miami Heat.
(Field Level Media)
