COVID-19 Outbreak Hits Chicago Bulls as Zach LaVine, Troy Brown Jr. Test Positive for Coronavirus

(Photo : Mike Stobe/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls looks on in the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on December 04, 2021 in New York City.

The deadly coronavirus continued to spread inside the Chicago Bulls camp, with Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. the latest players to catch COVID-19. They entered the league's health and safety protocols on Sunday following their positive diagnosis and will miss multiple games as a result.

9 Bulls players in NBA health and safety protocols

That brings the total number of Chicago players in the COVID-19 protocols to nine since the start of the month. Among the players who are sidelined due to COVID-19 apart from LaVine and Brown are DeMar DeRozan, Derrick Jones Jr., Matt Thomas, Coby White, Javonte Green, Stanley Johnson, and Ayo Dosunmu.

Even Bulls broadcasters Bill Wennington and Stacey King were not spared as they were also forced to isolate themselves at home due to the NBA's strict protocols. Players who test positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for ten days as mandated by the health protocols.

A quick return to the hardcourt is possible but only for players, who can submit two negative PCR tests within a short 24-hour window. That was the case for LeBron James earlier this month, whose initial positive test for COVID-19 proved to be a false positive. He just missed the game against the Sacramento Kings and was allowed to suit up for the Lakers once he returned two negative tests for the coronavirus.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, they are dealing with the real deal with a full-blown outbreak striking the team. The Bulls currently have nine healthy players on their roster, just one more than the minimum eight players the NBA requires for each team to proceed with a game. That includes their two-way players and new addition Alfonzo McKinnie, who the Bulls just signed on Friday to a 10-day contract.

White and Green's return ease Bulls' roster concerns

The main concern now is that more Chicago players will test positive before Tuesday's game against the Detroit Pistons. The outbreak that struck the Bulls has been so widespread that even the player they signed as a hardship exception to bolster their roster, Stanley Johnson, was also hit with COVID-19.

Given the plethora of positive cases within the Bulls organization, their players are being tested every day for COVID-19. The league has decided to test on game days beginning Friday on vaccinated players who have not received a booster shot. Unvaccinated players are tested daily as mandated by the league.

The good news for the Bulls is that some of their players have completed their mandatory 10-day isolation and are eligible to return against the Pistons. Coby White returned to the team's facility on Sunday, the first time he has done so since he tested positive for COVID-19 on December 1. Also available to play for the Bulls on Tuesday is Javonte Green.