Chicago Bulls players are eager to return to the court Sunday after a weeklong COVID-19 pause: 'The only symptom I had was boredom,' DeMar DeRozan says

Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan was relieved to return to practice Saturday for the first time in 10 days after becoming the third player caught in the team's COVID-19 outbreak.

The NBA postponed two Bulls games this week and placed the team under tight restrictions after 10 players entered league's health and safety protocols. They haven't played a game since Dec. 11.

DeRozan is cleared to return Sunday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at the United Center, as are Coby White and Javonte Green. Derrick Jones Jr. also has exited protocols and is listed as questionable.

The Bulls are far from returned to normal -- Matt Thomas remains in protocols despite being listed as doubtful for Sunday's game, and Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu, Troy Brown Jr. and Alize Johnson are expected to remain sidelined through Christmas, according to coach Billy Donovan. But with no new cases among players or coaches, the Bulls are hopeful they've escaped the widest team outbreak in the NBA so far this season.

Without any symptoms, DeRozan said the greatest challenge was staying grounded amid the frustration and confusion of the outbreak.

"That was the crazy thing, sitting there fine and trying to figure out why I'm sitting here doing nothing," DeRozan said. "I felt completely fine. The only symptom I had was boredom, honestly."

DeRozan structured his days around COVID-19 testing and basketball. He reported to test outside the Bulls training facility every morning, then returned home to nap before watching every NBA game scheduled for the day. DeRozan trained lightly in the evenings, alternating between stretches and simple exercises such as jumping rope or doing pushups. When he ran out of basketball to watch, DeRozan switched to football.

Even with plenty of sports to consume, DeRozan said those days were marked by boredom as he itched to return to the court and help his teammates.

"It's just mentally exhausting just seeing everything that's going on around the league, just being affected by it," DeRozan said. "It can be frustrating, it can be confusing, it can be a lot of things at once. It's just something we've got to continue to deal with, try (to) maneuver around it and make the most of it when we can."

The Bulls outbreak began with White on Dec. 1 and quickly enveloped 10 players on the roster: Green (Dec. 3), DeRozan (Dec. 5), Thomas (Dec. 7), Jones Jr. (Dec. 9), Dosunmu and Johnson (Saturday), LaVine and Brown (Sunday) and Johnson (Monday). Broadcasters Stacey King and Bill Wennington also entered protocols amid the outbreak, and center Nikola Vucevi previously spent 11 days in isolation after testing positive Nov. 11.

Many Bulls players in protocols were asymptomatic like DeRozan, but others experienced mild symptoms. White said he returned a low-grade fever of around 99 degrees and suffered from headaches and congestion for three to four days. Although this sickness was noticeable, White likened it to a cold and said recovery hasn't been a challenge.

With half of the Bulls in isolation, White said his teammates stayed connected through a group chat, teasing each other and cracking jokes about getting tested.

"We got a lighthearted group, a spiritual group," White said. "We got good personalities and spirits on the team. Nobody was like, 'Man, this is BS.' We were all just making jokes. We don't have those type of personalities where dudes were upset or angry. Our group is funny, goofy. We just got the 'it is what it is' mentality and keep pushing."

The Bulls outbreak was the most extensive in the league but quickly was matched. The Brooklyn Nets equaled the Bulls' high when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving entered protocols Saturday, bringing the team's total to 10.

More than 70 NBA players entered the league's protocols this month, and at least 50 of those cases occurred in the last seven days. Before December, only 16 players had entered the protocols.

"When it started happening with us, I was confident in knowing that it wasn't just going to be us," DeRozan said.

These outbreaks have created a challenge for the NBA, which is facing a potential need to shut down games as the omicron and delta variants pummel cities across the U.S. The nationwide spike comes amid the highly anticipated span of scheduling between the Christmas and New Year's holiday games, which are major broadcast revenue drivers for the league.

When asked to offer his take on the league's quandary, White held up both hands and pled the fifth.

"I don't want to get into that," White said. "I don't really know. I want to hoop and everybody else wants to hoop. Whatever they come up with, that's what I'm going to follow."

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