It’s still with us.
That’s the sobering reality. The news Thursday evening that Toronto Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri had tested positive for COVID-19 drove that message home.
Raptors' statement on GOA/Raptors COVID situation pic.twitter.com/U04TTKPaOy
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) December 10, 2021
It feels like the pandemic is accelerating again, and once more the NBA is shining a light on something coming that we’ll all likely have no choice but to acknowledge sooner than later, whether we like it or not.
The echoes are there, right down to the venue, Hotel X on Lake Shore Blvd., in the Exhibition grounds. That was where Raptors coach Nick Nurse was holding his event on behalf of his charitable foundation on the night of March 11, 2020 when news came that Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz had tested positive for COVID and the NBA was putting the 2019-20 season on hold.
This time the event was hosted by Ujiri on behalf of his Giants of Africa charitable foundation, marking the eighth annual celebration of the life of South African anti-Apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.
The crowd on the third-floor hotel ball room was typically star-studded – NBA commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum were on hand among the roughly 250 guests. It began with a lunch, featured a panel of speakers and a good number of the attendees headed over to Scotiabank Arena where the Raptors played a strong game, getting the win over the visiting Washington Wizards.
But then this bombshell:
“On Sunday, Giants of Africa held our first in-person event since 2019. It was organized in compliance with all current public health guidance – everyone who attended had to show proof of vaccination, and to wear masks when not eating or drinking,” said Ujiri in a statement issued by the team. “Unfortunately, after the gala, we learned of positive COVID-19 tests among our guests – and even though I am fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot, I also subsequently tested positive. I am now at home, observing the safety protocols by self-isolating for 10 days, monitoring for symptoms and undergoing testing, and I encourage everyone who attended to please do the same.”
The extent of the spread of infection is unknown. It’s not clear when Ujiri tested positive, although it was business as usual for him through Wednesday, it’s believed, with the first indication something was amiss when the Raptors cancelled their practice scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at their OVO Practice Centre out of an “abundance of caution” as the organization went through testing.
The early returns are that the players — who weren’t at the event as the Raptors played that night — haven’t returned any positive tests and expectations are that they will play their game Friday night against the New York Knicks as scheduled.
And this from NBA spokesman Michael Bass:
“Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum were among the attendees at the Giants of Africa event Sunday in Toronto. Adam and Mark – who are both fully vaccinated and have received booster shots – have been tested daily for COVID-19 since the event and returned negative results. At the direction of the league’s physicians and infectious disease specialists, they will continue to test daily for six more days. Adam and Mark share their well wishes for Masai and the others who’ve returned positive results.”
But the Raptors did have their basketball operations department — scouting staff who typically are travelling and preparing for the draft — in Toronto for meetings. Those deemed to have been in close contact with Ujiri will have to follow similar protocols regarding testing and will be required to self-isolate for 10 days, backdated from the Dec. 6 event, or until deemed clear by Toronto Public Health.
The news comes as COVID cases are rising locally and globally. As an example, a Christmas party in Oslo, Norway on Nov. 26 where the ‘vast majority’ or guests were fully vaccinated and all had a negative rapid antigen test before attending has been found to have 80 of 103 guests subsequently test positive for COVID, with the Omicron variant figuring prominently.
On a positive note, none of the cases have required hospitalizations as of yet.
In the NBA, it’s estimated that 97 per cent of players and 100 per cent of team and league staff have been vaccinated and about 60 per cent of the league has received a booster shot.
The Raptors’ organization is fully vaccinated.
But even within the league, cases continue to appear. The Chicago Bulls have had five players enter health-and-safety protocols in the past nine days, including former Raptors DeMar DeRozan and Matt Thomas. The Bulls organization is reportedly fully vaccinated. Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle entered health and safety protocols on Thursday and the team cancelled its practice. Similarly, the Charlotte Hornets have five players in health-and-safety protocols due to COVID.
It’s a reminder that while we might be done with the pandemic, it’s not yet done with us.
“We don’t want to live in fear of this virus,” said Ujiri in his statement. “But COVID is a persistent enemy. Together, we’ll defeat it.”
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