9 NBA Players out of 344 Tested from June 24-29 Diagnosed with COVID-19

When the NBA did its most recent round of COVID-19 testing ahead of its restart, nine more players tested positive.

In a joint statement, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association said 344 players were tested from June 24-29. They've logged 25 total positive tests since the protocol began June 23.

There have also been 10 positive results from the 844 tests performed on team personnel.

The NBA is set to resume the 2019-20 season on July 30 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported on the league's plan to continuously test players, coaches and other staffers for the coronavirus. 

Phase 2 began June 23 and mandated that players receive a COVID-19 test every other day. The third phase went into effect on Wednesday, which sees the start of individual workouts at team facilities. In less than a week, teams will head to Orlando.

Bontemps noted that players had a June 24 deadline by which they determine whether they intend to play this month. However, Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo is still on the fence, and Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal left the matter unresolved as well.

Brooklyn Nets center DeAndre Jordan announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 and wouldn't be going to Orlando. His Nets teammate Spencer Dinwiddie told Shams Charania of The Athletic he tested positive as well but remained undecided about his status.

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters Wednesday that star center Nikola Jokic, who was flagged for a positive test in his native Serbia, is still in the process of traveling to the United States.

"The hope and expectation is that Nikola Jokic will be with us on that plane as we head down to Orlando," Malone said, per the Denver Post's Mike Singer. "From everything I've heard and talked to him, he feels great, he feels fine and is excited to get back."

With the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Florida surging, many have raised concerns about restarting the NBA season in Orlando.

Speaking as part of the Time 100 Talks (h/t ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk), commissioner Adam Silver defended the move and said he believes players will be safer on the Disney campus, where they'll be closely monitored and regularly tested.