Thursday 23 July 2020 07:05, UK
Houston Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook participated in his first practice on Wednesday since clearing the NBA's coronavirus quarantine protocol.
He said he was "thankful and blessed" to rejoin his team-mates to prepare for the upcoming restart at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.
The nine-time All-Star announced his positive coronavirus test on July 13. He told reporters Wednesday he was largely asymptomatic "other than a stuffy nose".
"I've been at home, trying to be productive," he said. "Obviously, not able to get on the basketball floor, but finding ways to stay active, doing as much conditioning as I can probably do. We'll see (the conditioning level) when I get out there, but that's the last thing that I worry about. I'm in pretty good shape, so I should be all right."
Coach Mike D'Antoni said Westbrook could participate in Friday's scrimmage against the Toronto Raptors.
"Whatever he wants is cool," D'Antoni said. "He knows his body. Again, we are not talking about just a normal athlete. We are talking about a super athlete, and I sometimes underestimate it. We rely on him and the medical staff to make an informed decision, and whatever that decision is, we'll go with it."
The Rockets resume the season on July 31 against the Dallas Mavericks.
Westbrook, 31, averaged 27.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 53 games before the season came to a halt on March 11 amid the pandemic.
Westbrook is in his first season with the Rockets after being acquired in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer. He played 11 seasons with the Thunder, highlighted by a 2016-17 campaign in which he earned MVP honours after averaging a career-best 31.6 points to go along with 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists.
