Former Kings center Olden Polynice describes fear, ‘pain and horror’ of his COVID-19 case
Former Kings center Olden Polynice said he feared for his life after contracting a virus he didn’t take seriously enough in the early stages of the global pandemic.
Polynice, 56, revealed Monday on Twitter he is recovering from a serious case of COVID-19. Polynice described the “pain” and “horror” he felt during his fight with the deadly virus.
“Hello everyone. This post is to let you all know that I recently had Covid and fortunately I am on the tail end of recovery,” Polynice wrote. “First and foremost this virus is nothing to play with. It’s for real. The pain that I felt and the horror of not knowing if I was going to make it is the worst experience I’ve ever had.
“I was one of the people early on who thought it was minor and I’m here to tell you there isn’t anything minor about this virus. I regret having that mindset and I apologize to all that have been affected by this virus and after going thru this I pray we get rid of this virus ASAP. . Please continue being safe and protect yourself.. God bless.”
Polynice was a standout at Virginia, where he helped the Cavaliers reach the Final Four in 1983-84. The Chicago Bulls selected him with the No. 8 pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, but they immediately traded him to the Seattle SuperSonics for Scottie Pippen.
Polynice later played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Kings and Utah Jazz over the course of his 15-year NBA career. Sacramento acquired him in a 1993 trade that sent Pete Chilcutt and two draft picks to Detroit. Polynice appeared in 345 games over five seasons with the Kings from 1993-98, averaging 10.8 points and 8.8 rebounds.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 5:07 PM.
