NBA Star Stephen Curry Has the Flu After Returning to the Court — but No Signs of Coronavirus

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry was diagnosed with the seasonal flu ahead of Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers and had to sit out the game.

The team’s physician, Dr. Robert Nied, released a statement on Saturday and said Curry was not showing signs of the coronavirus.

“This morning Stephen Curry was diagnosed with influenza A by a positive viral testing,” the statement, shared on Twitter, read. “We have identified his probable source contact who is not part of basketball operations. He has no specific risk factors for COVID-19. He has seasonal flu. We have begun treatment for Stephen and instituted our team protocol for influenza exposure.”

Curry had just played his first game in four months after breaking his hand.

Coach Steve Kurr spoke to reporters ahead of the game, according to ESPN, also confirming that Curry only suffered from the flu but that the NBA and his team were taking the coronavirus outbreak seriously.

“I was with Steph [on Friday] in practice and also in Oakland yesterday afternoon, and he was fine,” Kerr said. “So he woke up this morning feeling sick. I know his young son was sick for a couple of days, so he probably got it from his son, but our doctors checked him out, and it is the basic flu.”

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“It’s absolutely a concern,” he added of the coronavirus. “Like everybody else, I’m reading about it. It’s something that our players and I have all talked about. We had our team doctor come in and address us a few days ago. So I’m no expert; I’m just like everybody else, just trying to learn about it. And it’s a concern, but we’re doing our job to come in and get ready for the game and play the game, and the league will tell us what will be next.”

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Ahead of Saturday’s game, the Chase Center tweeted on Friday that they were “aware of the recommendations made today by San Francisco Department of Public Health” and that they were “continuing to monitor the situation and the guidelines of the CDC.”

According to NBC Sports, NBA team physicians and trainers have a conference call on Monday to discuss next steps for the league amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Athletic‘s Shams Charania reported on Friday that the NBA was allegedly preparing to potentially host games without any fans.

“The NBA has sent a memo to its franchises explaining that, due to coronavirus outbreak, teams should be preparing to play games without fans in attendance and identifying ‘essential staff’ present for these games,” he wrote on Twitter.

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As of Monday, 111,363 people have been infected across 109 countries. Of those cases, 3,892 have resulted in death. In the United States, there have been 566 confirmed cases and 22 deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise people to “practice everyday preventive actions” to help keep healthy and reduce exposure to the virus. This includes avoiding close contact with people who are sick; staying home when you are sick and seeking medical care; covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue.

They also suggest routinely cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, and washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.