Hours after James Dolan announced that the team would compensate its employees for hours lost due to the coronavirus shutdown, the owner of the New York Knicks was revealed to have tested positive for the virus.
The Knicks put out a statement indicating that Dolan is currently in isolation, and in a bit of relatively good news, he is not showing symptoms. Dolan also apparently continues to oversee Madison Square Garden operations.
The Madison Square Garden Company Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Dolan has tested positive for coronavirus. He has been in self-isolation and is experiencing little to no symptoms. He continues to oversee business operations.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) March 29, 2020
New York has become the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the United States in recent days, and this positive test shows just how all aspects of life in New York have been impacted by the epidemic. Though he’s the first owner to have officially contracted COVID-19, he’s merely the latest person in the NBA to have contracted the virus. Rudy Gobert’s positive test sent shockwaves through the sports world and effectively started the shutdown of everyday life in the United States as millions try to practice social distancing measures to keep the spread of the disease to a minimum.
It’s unclear how Dolan contracted coronavirus and if anyone else in the organization will be impacted, but it’s a sobering reminder of just how this has impacted every aspect of New York life.