Meesseman's European hoops season derailed by coronavirus originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Nearly a month ago Mystics' star Emma Meesseman tested positive for the coronavirus while competing with the Belgium National Team. The forward has yet to be cleared to return to play 25 days following the announcement of her diagnosis and has dealt with minor symptoms from the virus, she wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
"Update: still waiting for green light to go back to my team. It’s been a month since I tested positive," Meesseman said in the post. "I am feeling good, only symptoms are loss of smell and taste, but those are coming back a little."
Several athletes that tested positive for COVID-19 have noted they did not experience severe symptoms. Meesseman's loss of smell and taste are described as mild symptoms by the CDC.
The 2019 WNBA Finals MVP says she is no longer contagious, but still generating a weak positive result from testing. Some leagues, such as the NBA, allowed players to return to play after testing positive if they were no longer deemed contagious by its health experts.
The positive test forced Meesseman to miss the Belgian Cats EuroBasket 2021 qualification tournament. Without Meesseman, the team went 4-0 and won Group G to move to the next round slated for February.
Meesseman is set to be a free agent this WNBA offseason for the Mystics after signing a one-year deal this past year. Head coach Mike Thibault has stated that the team is willing to designate her as a 'core' player for 2021 if necessary. A 'core' designation gives Washington exclusive negotiating rights for the player's next contract.
Washington is the only WNBA team that she has played for since being drafted by the organization in 2013. In numerous instances, she has had to step away from the Mystics to compete for Belgium in international tournaments.
Meesseman did express some uncertainty for the 2021 WNBA season at the end of the year and the conflicts that could exist with the National Team and the Olympics. With so much unknown about the coronavirus, she said things can change quickly.
