Shortly after his pleas to cancel the NCAA Tournament were answered, Charles Barkley will have to wait to celebrate.
The “NBA on TNT” analyst called into Thursday’s show to explain he was under self-quarantine for a possible coronavirus case.
“I spent the earlier part of the week in NYC, when I got to Atlanta yesterday I wasn’t feeling well,” he told his co-hosts. “I talked to a couple people at Turner and a couple of doctors, and they told me to self-quarantine for the next 48 hours.
“I started yesterday. This is my second day. I haven’t been feeling great and they didn’t want me taking any chances. I went and took the coronavirus test late this afternoon. I haven’t got the results back yet.”
The news comes a day after the NBA announced it was suspending its season following Jazz center Rudy Gobert contracting the virus. His Utah teammate Donovan Mitchell also has been diagnosed with it. Multiple teams have quarantined themselves after facing the Jazz in recent days.
Understandably, Barkley is uneasy about what his near-future holds.
“I’m kind of in limbo right now,” he said. “I’m hoping it was just a bug.”