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    Russell Westbrook Says He Tested Positive for the Coronavirus

    Russell Westbrook, the Houston Rockets star and one of the most high-profile players in the N.B.A., said on Monday in a social media post that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He said his positive test came before the Rockets left for Orlando, where the N.B.A. is attempting to restart its season.“I’m currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared,” Westbrook said in his statement. He added: “Please take this virus seriously. Be safe. Mask up! #whynot.”pic.twitter.com/Kq7CE26TxD— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) July 13, 2020
    Westbrook and Houston’s other superstar guard, James Harden, did not travel with the team to the Walt Disney World campus in recent days. Luc Mbah a Moute, a veteran forward whom the Rockets signed earlier this month, also did not make the trip. Coach Mike D’Antoni did not specify why in comments to reporters over the weekend but said he expected them to be in Orlando shortly.“These are things that people are dealing with,” D’Antoni said. “We’re not going to get into why not. They’re on their way.”It is unclear when Westbrook will be able to join the Rockets or when his quarantine period began. Other players, like Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Andre Jordan of the Nets, are skipping the N.B.A. restart entirely after they learned they had the coronavirus. More

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    ESPN Suspends N.B.A. Reporter for Vulgar Reply to Senator

    ESPN’s most prominent basketball reporter has been suspended for a two-word vulgar email reply to the office of a United States senator on Friday morning in response to the senator’s critical statements about the N.B.A.’s relationship with China.The reporter, Adrian Wojnarowski, sent the email to the office of Josh Hawley, a Republican senator from Missouri, who posted a screenshot of it on Twitter.The suspension, which was confirmed by someone close to Wojnarowski, means he will not be traveling this week to report on the N.B.A.’s resumed season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Florida. On a recent podcast episode, Wojnarowski said he had sent a number of packages to the Orlando area in advance of his planned arrival on Sunday.Hours after sending the email, Wojnarowski apologized, saying he was “disrespectful” and “made a regrettable mistake.” ESPN called his email “inexcusable” and said it would address it with him internally. A spokesman declined to comment on the suspension.The Washington Post reported the suspension would be from one to two weeks.Wojnarowski was responding to an email sent by Hawley’s press office to a number of journalists, criticizing the N.B.A. for “kowtowing to Beijing” and its decision to allow players to wear social justice messages on their jerseys during the coming restart of the N.B.A. season in Florida.The list of acceptable messages, which was agreed to by the N.B.A. and the union representing the players, includes “Black Lives Matter” and “I Can’t Breathe.” None reference last year’s widespread protests in Hong Kong or China’s increasing grip on the city.The matter called into question Wojnarowski’s distance from a league he covers and appeared to be defending. Hawley has been known to selectively criticize the N.B.A.’s relationship with China.The N.B.A. has been a frequent target for many Republicans since the league’s rift with China began before the season started. Several castigated the N.B.A. — accusing the league of not firmly standing behind Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets’ general manager, who posted an image on Twitter that was supportive of the pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters in October. This incensed the Chinese government, which has since limited its business with the N.B.A.Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, even called for the N.B.A. commissioner, Adam Silver, to testify on the subject. When prominent and frequently outspoken league figures like Steve Kerr, LeBron James and James Harden were asked about Morey’s comments, they either demurred or declined to support Morey.When it comes to the leader of their own party, President Trump, Republicans have mostly been silent, including after Trump said to Axios that he wanted to avoid punishing China for its mass internment of ethnic Uighurs last year because of ongoing trade talks. Trump has also spoken warmly about President Xi Jinping of China, referring to him as “a friend of mine” and “an incredible guy,” and urged the country to investigate the Bidens.After Wojnarowski’s tweet, conservative critics like the sports blogger Clay Travis pounced. Travis sarcastically tweeted about ESPN’s “left-wing bias,” and Hawley reshared that tweet with his followers. Travis’s site, Outkick, later was first to report about Wojnarowski’s suspension.For years, conservative critics, and often some competitors, have accused ESPN of liberal bias and claimed, with little evidence, that it has resulted in lower ratings. Still, Jimmy Pitaro, who became ESPN’s president in 2018, has sought to steer the network in a direction that focuses more on what happens on the field. In the last few months, that position has been challenged, as there have been few sports to cover because of the coronavirus pandemic and as athletes have spoken out about racism in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in police custody.Sopan Deb contributed reporting. More

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    As N.B.A. Teams Arrive at Disney, Focus Turns to Keeping the Virus Out

    As the first N.B.A. teams arrived at Walt Disney World for the resumption of their season, Commissioner Adam Silver reiterated his conviction that the restricted environment in Florida will be safer for the league’s personnel during the coronavirus pandemic than being anywhere “off this campus.” The ultimate test of that belief had begun just a […] More

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    A Month Before the N.B.A.’s Restart, the Nets Keep Losing Players

    The Nets began this N.B.A. season ushering in a new era — and while this year was always expected to be a transition period, the franchise hoped to at least build the foundation of a potential dynasty. Eight months later, little has gone according to plan. With about a month to go before the N.B.A. […] More

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    Despite Virus Spike, N.B.A. Is ‘Very Comfortable’ With Florida Plan

    Despite what Adam Silver, the N.B.A. commissioner, described as an “increased” level of concern over a significant rise of coronavirus cases in Florida, the league moved forward on several fronts Friday by formalizing its plans to restart the 2019-20 season at Walt Disney World near Orlando. The league and the National Basketball Players Association jointly […] More

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    Knicks Have Long List of Coaching Candidates

    With a list of candidates that has already reached double digits, the Knicks’ coaching search is poised to extend well into July, according to two people who were familiar with the team’s plans but not authorized to discuss the search publicly. Tom Thibodeau, the former coach of the Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves, is […] More

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    LeBron James’s Business Partner Now Wants to Get Out the Vote

    When LeBron James began building his business empire, he didn’t turn to a professional talent agency or an established Hollywood manager. He went to his childhood friend Maverick Carter. The two grew up together in Akron, Ohio, and were basketball and football teammates in high school. Mr. Carter interned at Nike after college, and began […] More

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    Florida Is a Popular Site for Pro Leagues. It’s Also a Virus Hot Spot.

    Florida reported 2,610 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to a New York Times database, only a slight drop from the state’s one-day record of 2,783. That was set on Tuesday. Florida was one of the first states to reopen in the midst of the global pandemic. Now, it is one of nearly two dozen […] More