Warriors fans were palpably nervous.
Steph Curry, less than a day after making his return to the Golden State lineup, was ruled out of the team's next game on March 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers with an illness. Details weren't given beyond that, but given the timing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) beginning to afflict the United States in a major way, speculation ran rampant.
The star point guard recently recounted his experience of being the first NBA player tested for the coronavirus in a written piece for Time Magazine.
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"That night (March 6), I started to feel sick," Curry writes. "The fever set in. First at 100. Then 101. My first thought was, 'What are the chances? Could this really happen?' After months of waiting to get back on the court following a broken hand and two surgeries, I just wanted to play.
"But the threat of this mystery virus locked me in my bedroom to protect everyone I cared about: wife, kids, teammates, fans."
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Luckily for Curry, two-time MVP simply had a case of the flu, and showed no signs of COVID-19. Nonetheless, it was a harrowing experience. Rudy Gobert would become the first NBA player diagnosed with the virus on March 11, just a few days later. The NBA season then was suspended indefinitely.
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"Thankfully, my test came back negative. But that experience hit me, and it hit me hard."