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March 23 (UPI) -- NBA legend Charles Barkley, who announced 10 days ago that he was undergoing tests for the coronavirus after feeling ill, tested negative for the virus. "I've received my COVID-19 test results this morning and they are negative," Barkley said in a statement Monday. "I'd like to thank everyone for reaching out and expressing your concern and support. You all be safe and please take the necessary actions to help ensure your well-being."
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The colorful Inside the NBA analyst called into the TNT show March 12 to address his health. Barkley said he was feeling sick and was self-isolating after undergoing tests for the virus.
"I'm just kind of in limbo right now. I'm hoping, I'm really hoping, it was just a bug," Barkley said on his show almost two weeks ago. "I was in New York earlier this week, and that was a hot spot. When I got to Atlanta, I just wasn't feeling well. I took the test, I haven't gotten the results back yet, and that's where I'm at now."
Barkley's announcement came one day after the NBA indefinitely suspended its season. The league temporarily halted play after Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert became the first player in the NBA to test positive for COVID-19.
Barkley, 57, was an 11-time All-Star and the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 1993. The two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee averaged 22.1 points and 11.7 rebounds in 16 seasons between the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets.
