Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone had the coronavirus in March but wasn’t informed of it until months later, he told CBS Denver 4 in an interview Monday.
“I’d say around March 20, I started not feeling well, and we began reaching out to team doctors to see if I could get a test,” Malone said. “Unfortunately, at that time, there was no testing available.
“So I only found out after the fact. I was able to get an antibody test probably right around Memorial Day weekend. And not surprisingly, our team doctor called up and said, ‘Listen, you tested positive.'”
Malone — sporting a fuller head of hair rather than the buzz cut he dons on the sideline — maintained a sense of humor through it all.
“I like to say that I got coronavirus, and I kicked its butt,” he said. “I was able to survive, thank goodness.”
The Nuggets, 43-22 at the time of the league’s pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be among the teams in Orlando, Florida, when the league resumes — another point of optimism for Malone.
“I hope that going down to Orlando will be a safe environment,” he said, “and we can limit the amount of people that actually get [COVID-19].”