NBA legend Patrick Ewing has confirmed that he has been hospitalised with the coronavirus.
The 57-year-old former New York Knicks player said on Twitter that he tested positive and issued a statement via Georgetown University, for whom he is head men's basketball coach.
"I want to share that I have tested positive for Covid-19," he said. "This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly. I want to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones."
He added his appreciation for the healthcare workers on the front lines and insisted he will "be fine".
Georgetown said Ewing is isolated at a local hospital and is the only member of the men's basketball programme to test positive.
Ewing had a 17-year career in the NBA from 1985 to 2002, spending most of the period at the Knicks. He won Olympic gold medals with the USA team in 1984 - and 1992 when the squad was nicknamed the "Dream Team" and regarded by some as the greatest sports team ever.
He has featured regularly in recent weeks in the Netflix smash-hit documentary The Last Dance, which focuses on the career of Michael Jordan and his career with the Chicago Bulls.
The NBA season was suspended on March 11 due to the pandemic. There is no indication when it restart as of yet.
The US has been hit hard by the pandemic with more than 1.6 million cases and almost 100,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
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Coronavirus around the world
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Gravediggers wearing protective suits prepare to bury the coffin of a person who died from the coronavirus during a ceremony with no relatives, at Vila Formosa cemetery, Brazil's biggest cemetery, in Sao Paulo. Reuters -
An Indonesia Health Quarantine Officer waits for the the last ship arriving at Ulee Lhuee port in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The Aceh government has stopped all public transport operations to avoid the annual Eid al-Fitr mass exodus amid the coronavirus pandemic. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the Muslim's holy month of Ramadan. EPA -
Mue Bon, a Thai street artist paints a mural depicting characters attempting to keep a virus at bay in Bangko. REUTERS -
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike speaks during a press conference on the coronavirus. AFP -
President of the Navajo Nation Jonathan Nez stands in the Monument Valley Tribal Park, which has been closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic in Arizona. AFP -
An aerial view shows tents at the joint Clark County-City of Las Vegas ISO-Q (Isolation and Quarantine) Complex for the homeless that was constructed in the parking lot at Cashman Center. AFP -
Candles arranged in the shape of a heart are set as a vigil honoring coronavirus victims in Queens, New York. EPA -
A Chinese health worker prepares to carry out a nucleic acid test on a journalist entering a hotel to spend a night in isolation before attending the opening of the National People's Congress in Beijing, China. Getty Images -
An aerial view shows empty parking lots at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino, which has been closed since March 17 in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP -
A worker digs a new grave at the Valle de Chalco Municipal Cemetery on the outskirts of Mexico City. AP Photo -
Indonesian officials check the documents of motorists leaving Jakarta. AFP -
A worker sprays an antiviral liquid inside a train in Osaka, western Japan. REUTERS -
An aerial view shows the air traffic control tower and terminal 3 at McCarran International Airport amid the spread of the coronavirus in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP -
People commute on a bus during morning rush hour in Beijing. AFP -
A migrant worker family with their three month old child wait under a flyover for transportation to get back to their village during a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of new coronavirus in New Delhi, India. AP Photo -
People shop from stalls ahead of Eid in Karachi, Pakistan. REUTERS -
A policeman stands guard outside a house in Colombo after three women were crushed to death during a cash distribution for residents affected by the coronavirus lockdown. AFP
