'We’re not better than anybody': Why the Warriors won't test healthy players for COVID-19

Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors walks on to the court for their game against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center on January 14, 2020 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) less Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors walks on to the court for their game against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center on January 14, 2020 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty ... more Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Image 1 of / 39 Caption Close 'We’re not better than anybody': Why the Warriors won't test healthy players for COVID-19 1 / 39 Back to Gallery

The question was on the tips of many tongues when the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday announced four players on their team had tested positive for the coronavirus, including former Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant.

How did members of the Brooklyn Nets get tested at all?

The United States continues to lag behind the rest of the world in testing — this New York Times graphic from Tuesday illustrates things as well as you could. The U.S. has around 100 tests per million people, whereas South Korea has more than 5,000 per million people.

But according to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets "paid out of pocket to a private company to conduct tests." And they weren't the only ones. The Oklahoma City Thunder similarly tested their team with tests secured from “outside sources” in an effort to not deplete the state’s already small supply, whereas the Utah Jazz had 58 tests done in a single day after Rudy Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive. That positive test led to the suspension of NBA play.

And yet, NBA teams are finding ways to get their hands on tests. Former SB Nation NBA writer Tom Ziller has a fantastic take on where you should direct your anger over this (hint: it's not the Nets) in his daily newsletter, which you should absolutely read. But the storyline and anger over rich athletes getting access to tests regular folks can't doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. After news of the Nets' positive tests, the Los Angeles Lakers — their most recent opponent — were tested for coronavirus this morning, according to the Los Angeles Times. Results are expected back Friday.

Which brings us to the Warriors, who are taking a decidedly different approach to testing.

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"We’ve been told that testing’s in short supply," Warriors general manager Bob Myers said in the conference call with reporters on Tuesday. "We’re treating ourselves like people, which is what we are. We’re not better than anybody. We’re not worse. We’re just a basketball team, like any company. Right now, we’re not interacting with anybody. I’ve been told by our doctors that we shouldn’t be testing asymptomatic people in California."

As of Monday, California had tested fewer than 9,000 people for coronavirus. South Korea, meanwhile, has reportedly been testing 10,000 people per day. And while the Warriors could presumably go out and get "outside sources" to help them get tests, Myers is holding the line on the Warriors not being more important than someone who may desperately need it.

"Every team’s responsibility is to check in with their players each day and staff members or anybody for that matter, even me, to report symptoms," Myers said on the call. "So we’re doing that. But outside of that, we’re not mandating, nor do I think we should be at this time until testing becomes more available that everybody gets tested."

Grant Marek is the Editorial Director of SFGATE. Email: grant.marek@sfgate.com | Twitter: @grant_marek