NBA-Rockets guard Westbrook tests positive for COVID-19 ahead of Orlando trip

July 13 (Reuters) - Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook said on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the team's departure to Orlando where the NBA plans to restart its season.

Westbrook, the 2017 Most Valuable Player and nine-time All-Star, said he is in quarantine and will only rejoin the squad when he is cleared.

"I tested positive for COVID-19 prior to my team's departure to Orlando," Westbrook, 31, said in a statement posted on Twitter https://twitter.com/russwest44/status/1282719257369866240.

"I'm currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared. Thank you for all the well wishes and continued support. Please take this virus seriously. Be safe. Mask up!"

Westbrook has been one of the Rockets' key players this season after his move from the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 27.5 points per game. The Rockets are currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a 40-24 record.

Twenty-two teams began arriving last week at the at the Disney ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, where they will be housed in a quarantined bubble to train ahead of the scheduled July 30 restart. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge)