The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown for a while, announcing today that their star wing has tested positive for COVID-19 today. The team says he is asymptomatic and quarantining.
Brown has not directly said whether he's vaccinated, but has hinted that he is. The length of his absence may depend on whether he is or not, with vaccinated players facing different protocols for returning than unvaccinated players.
"I think the NBA and the union have done a great job. I think the WNBA is 99% vaccinated and I think the NBA is over 90%. So I think the NBA and the union has done a really good job," he recently said. "Certain states and certain entities are not at that percentage. Sometimes it’s interesting to see what the concern is with the NBA. The NBA is doing a really good job and so is the union. But everybody has their own thoughts about it."
One concern for Brown might be his grandfather, who has lived with Brown and has recently undergone cancer treatments. Brown suggested that his family is protected.
"Personally, my closest family members were all vaccinated," he said. "I have family members who are vaccinated who are concerned with getting the booster shot, or multiple booster shots. And I have some people in my family who aren’t vaccinated at all. Just depending on your situation, your family and how you feel."
The Celtics are not fully vaccinated as a team, and Brown has called each player's decision a "personal choice." He is the second member of the Celtics to test positive for COVID-19 this preseason. Head coach Ime Udoka spent 10 days in quarantine after a positive diagnosis leading up to the first day of training camp.