Fever delay trip for WNBA launch after 2 players test positive for COVID

Two players for the Indiana Fever have tested positive for COVID-19, which has delayed the team’s trip to the facility in Florida where the WNBA plans to stage its 2020 season under quarantine.

All players for the league’s 12 teams have been tested prior to leaving for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, which will serve as the exclusive site for training camp, all games and league housing.

The women’s pro basketball league announced Monday that seven of its 137 players have tested positive. Fever officials confirmed that two of them played for Indiana but didn’t name them.

As a result, the team is delaying its travel by at least five days to self-quarantine in case any team representatives came into close contact with the infected players. Fever officials said Monday that the team is expected to arrive at the academy later this week but didn’t specify the day.

Players, coaches and staffers for the rest of the teams were expected to arrive on Monday.

All WNBA players, coaches and staffers will be tested daily for the first few days they are quarantined in IMG Academy, according to the Associated Press.  They will then be tested regularly once training camp and the season begins.

The league is planning to tip off a shortened, 22-game regular season in late July, followed by a traditional playoff format to crown a champion.

Florida is one of the current hot spots for the coronavirus in the U.S., with the state reporting more than 21,000 new COVID-19 cases this weekend, including more than 11,000 on Saturday.