A PCR test confirmed that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has COVID-19, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Carlisle will miss several games, starting tonight against Dallas, with lead assistant Lloyd Pierce taking over in his absence.
Carlisle was place in the league’s health and safety protocols on Thursday after returning a positive result on a rapid test. He took the PCR test later in the day, but the results weren’t available until this morning.
The 62-year-old coach is experiencing “mild symptoms” of COVID-19, according to an ESPN report. He is fully vaccinated and has received a booster shot.
With the virus now confirmed, Carlisle will be required to isolate for at least 10 days or until he has two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart. If he’s away from the team for 10 days, he will miss four games, including tonight’s. He could be able to return for a December 21 game in Miami.
The Pacers canceled practice Thursday, citing an “abundance of caution” relating to the protocols. After a relatively calm start to the season, COVID-19 is starting to create havoc throughout the league, with the Bulls, Sixers and Hornets among the teams most affected.
Same thing happened to Lloyd last year with the hawks he took one day off , next day he lost his job