The NBA released its latest results Wednesday for coronavirus tests performed on players participating in the restarted season at Walt Disney World, and the numbers are still perfect. Of the 343 players tested since results were last announced July 29, none has been confirmed positive.
That means no player has tested positive since entering the so-called bubble in Orlando, Fla., last month. There were two players who tested positive on arrival at Disney, with neither of those making it out of quarantine and potentially exposing anyone inside the bubble.
76ers’ Simmons hurts knee
Ben Simmons left Philadelphia’s 107-98 win over the Washington Wizards in the third quarter with a left knee injury and did not return. Simmons (8 points on 2-of-10 shooting) grabbed a rebound and appeared to tweak his knee. He left the court and hobbled toward the locker room. He left the locker late in the fourth quarter wearing street clothes. Coach Brett Brown said the team didn’t know anything on the extent of the injury … Joe Ingles scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Utah Jazz kept the Memphis Grizzlies winless in the bubble with a 124-115 victory. The Jazz nudged ahead of Houston for the fourth spot in the Western Conference standings. The Grizzlies dropped to 0-4 in the seeding round, further endangering their chances of hanging on to the No. 8 seed in the West … Michael Porter Jr. had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the San Antonio Spurs, 132-126 … Chris Paul had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 105-86 victory over the poor-shooting Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers … The Magic, who lost to the Raptors, 109-99, may be without forward Aaron Gordon for an undetermined amount of time after he left the game in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury after taking a hard foul … LA Clippers starting point guard Patrick Beverley was ruled out of Thursday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks with a left calf strain.
$300 million pledged to help Black community
The league’s Board of Governors and the National Basketball Players Association have finalized plans to create the first NBA Foundation that will work to spur economic growth in the Black community, announcing that the initial contribution will be $300 million over the next decade.
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Each team will donate $1 million annually, or $30 million collectively, over those 10 years.
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The foundation’s mission is “to drive economic empowerment for Black communities through employment and career advancement” for high school, college-aged and career-ready Black men and women, plus aid organizations that offer training and mentoring. Efforts will be centered on helping people get a first job, finding careers after high school or college, then career advancement.