Blazers C Nurkic announces grandmother's COVID-19 death

Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic was in the lineup for Portland against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday afternoon, just hours after announcing the death of his grandmother from the coronavirus.

Trail Blazers centre Jusuf Nurkic was in the lineup for Portland against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday afternoon, just hours after announcing the death of his grandmother from the coronavirus. He posted a tribute to her on Instagram with a photo of the two of them smiling, adding the hashtags "#ripgrandma" and "#loveyou".

In late July, Nurkic announced that his grandmother, Hana, was suffering from COVID-19 and urged the public to wear masks. The woman, who was 67, lived in their native Bosnia. "I think people don't realize the (pandemic) is really out there," he then. "We've been fortunate to be here in a safe environment, we're tested every day, but please take care of yourself, wear a damn mask if you need to wear it."

The Trail Blazers are taking part in the play-in game to determine who advances to the Western Conference upcoming playoffs. --Field Level Media