2026-07-06 19:34:35 Wizards-Hornets postponed due to coronavirus outbreak – NEW WTOP Skip to main content

Wizards-Hornets postponed due to coronavirus outbreak

By Chase Hughes

Wizards have fifth straight game postponed due to Covid outbreak originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Wizards’ game against the Hornets set for this Wednesday has been postponed, as Washington can’t yet put the requisite eight healthy players on the court due to the Covid-19 outbreak on their roster.

This marks the fifth straight game of theirs postponed and it means they will go at least 10 days between playing games. Their last game was on Monday, Jan. 11, a win over the Suns. Their next scheduled game is Friday at the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Wizards have seen as many as nine players enter the league’s health and safety protocol and six players test positive for the virus. When general manager Tommy Sheppard addressed the media on Friday, only two were symptomatic. No staff members – front office or coaches – had tested positive.

Still, this remains a very difficult situation for the team, which had to shut down their practice facility for several days. It reopened over the weekend for the remaining healthy players to do individual drills.

The NBA released only the first half of the regular season schedule, leaving the rest open for makeup games. But as they continue to pile up, it will only grow more difficult to reschedule them. The Wizards now have to make up games against the Jazz, Pistons, Cavs (twice) and the Hornets.

The Wizards are 3-8 on the season with that win over the Suns being arguably their best of the season. When they can pick back up and resume their season is anyone’s guess at this point.

Grant Hill calls Bradley Beal’s decision to stay with Wizards ‘refreshing’

By Chase Hughes
Hill calls Beal's decision to stay 'refreshing' originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonBradley Beal's decision to re-sign with the Wizards guaranteed him lots and lots of money, and it also continued a trend for him that runs counter to the paths many other NBA stars have chosen. He is remaining with the team that drafted him, pushing his tenure in Washington into its second decade.Beal's choice to stick around was appreciated by NBA legend Grant Hill, who caught up with NBC Sports Washington recently to discuss his new autobiography called 'Game.' "It was a nice contract. I think it’s refreshing when you see athletes who want to stay in one place. Obviously, he could have maybe tried to go elsewhere. The team hasn’t had great playoff success in recent years, but he’s committed to the franchise, he’s committed to the area," Hill told NBC Sports Washington.Hill, a Naismith Hall of Famer, played 18 seasons in the NBA for four different teams. He bounced around and found success at different stops, but admires the connection Beal has made with the city of D.C.Hill happens to be from the area, having grown up in nearby Reston, VA before he went on to become a star at Duke University and then in the NBA."I think he loves the DMV. I think they’ve embraced him and feel like he’s part of their own. So, you pull for guys like that; good people, character guys who want to play where they were drafted," Hill said.Beal signed a five-year contract with the Wizards worth a projected $251 million. He did so despite the lure of free agency following a season in which the Wizards finished 35-47 and fell short of the playoffs.As Hill noted, Beal could have left to join a better team, albeit for a contract that would have paid him substantially less money. Beal made that decision in part because he thinks the Wizards are on a track towards becoming perennial playoff contenders.With Beal entering his Age 29 season, certainly it would be ideal if the Wizards became contenders sooner than later. Hill is rooting for just that."You hope that he can have success there in Washington, team success, before his career is over," Hill said.Beal has been to the playoffs five times in 10 years with the Wizards, but has yet to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs. The Wizards have not reached the conference finals as a franchise since 1979.Stay tuned for more from our conversation with Hill, including stories from his book and his days growing up in Northern Virginia.
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