#Pacers’ Malcolm Brogdon latest NBA player to test positive for coronavirus

Malcolm Brogdon is one of several NBA players who marched in protests fighting racism, following the death of George Floyd. Unlike some peers, the Pacers guard believes the NBA season should resume, allowing Brogdon and others to use the platform to aid the cause.

First, Brogdon, 27, must quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. In preparation for the team’s trip to Orlando in the first week of July, the Pacers began testing players for the virus on Tuesday. Games aren’t scheduled to begin until July 30.

“I recently tested positive for the COVID virus and am currently in quarantine,” Brogdon said in a statement. “I’m doing well, feeling well and progressing well. I plan to join my teammates in Orlando for the resumption of the NBA season and playoffs.”

Brogdon, who was inspired by his grandfather marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s, made his presence felt while participating in Atlanta last month, speaking to fellow protestors through a megaphone.

“This is a moment. We have leverage right now. We have a moment in time. People are going to look back, our kids are going to look back at this and say, ‘You were a part of that,’” Brogdon said. “I’ve got a grandfather that marched next to Dr. Martin Luther King in the ’60s, and he was amazing. He would be proud to see us all here. We’ve got to keep pushing forward.

“I’ve got brothers, I’ve got sisters, I’ve got friends, that are in the streets, that are out here that haven’t made it to this level, that are experiencing that they’re getting pulled over, just discrimination, day after day, dealing with the same bulls–t. And this is systematic.”

After spending his first three seasons with the Bucks, Brogdon has started all 48 games he appeared in with the Pacers, averaging 16.3 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds. One week prior to the March 11 suspension of the season, Brogdon suffered a leg and hip injury, which he recently recovered from.