"Sounds more like norovirus" - NBA fans concerned by viral unidentified flu impacting Bronny James, Ja Morant and more

The NBA has been hit hard by a new disease. Multiple teams and players have been afflicted with a flu lately, including the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bronny James and Ja Morant.

With that in mind, NBA analyst Keith Smith pointed out that the league is starting to sound off the alarms, even urging players to stay away from one another if they're not feeling well:

"This flu running through the NBA is no joke. I was talking to a few teams that are asking players to stay away if they are feeling even the slightest bit sick. Almost every team has been hit by it at this point," wrote Smith.

Given the history of the pandemic, it didn't take long before fans drew parallels to the situation and wondered whether there was something else going on:

"seems to be a nationwide issue that’s not being addressed and/or prioritized enough by federal government and national media outlets," a fan said.

"Shame they don’t have any tested way to prevent airborne disease from spreading," a fan added.

"This is what killed the Bucks post NBA Cup. Giannis and Dame both missed like a week with it and it took another week for them to look like they got their wind back," a Bucks fan continued.

"sounds more like norovirus," one fan wrote.

"i can assure you that you don't want to get norovirus. i got extremely sick from eating the wrong thing while living in india and norovirus was magnitudes worse. i literally thought i was going to die for a couple minutes," a fan added.

Ja Morant could be ineligible for All-NBA selection

Notably, this flu could have an even bigger implication for Ja Morant. He's already missed 17 games this season. That means that if he misses another game, he won't be eligible for any major NBA awards or All-NBA selections for the second year in a row.

The Memphis Grizzlies star missed most of last season with a suspension and an injury, and that's going to take a big toll on his finances once he's eligible to sign his next contract.

Of course, the Grizzlies won't put him in harm's way because of that. They know they need him to be at his best and fully healthy for when it matters the most.

Hopefully, he'll be able to stay on the court down the stretch, as the game is always better when the best are available.