Former Nets Center Jason Collins Announces He Tested Positive for COVID-19

Former New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins has become the latest athlete to test positive for the coronavirus.

Collins announced Tuesday on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19 after first experiencing symptoms March 11 and then getting tested Saturday:

The coronavirus pandemic has continued to have a profound impact on the sports world. There are 14 known cases in the NBA, including Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics and Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz. 

Two unnamed players for the Los Angeles Lakers and three members of the Philadelphia 76ers organization also tested positive for the virus.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is the NFL's only known coronavirus case to this point. The 56-year-old told ESPN's Adam Schefter he took the test March 16 after feeling ill the previous day. 

Per CNN, there have been nearly 333,000 reported cases of coronavirus around the world with over 31,500 in the United States. 

The 41-year-old Collins spent 13 seasons in the NBA with the Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards from 2001-14.

Collins, who was the No. 18 overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft out of Stanford, averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 735 career regular-season games.

In 2013, Collins came out as gay, and during the 2013-14 season, he became the first openly gay athlete to play in one of North America's four major professional sports leagues.