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 said 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."

Nurkic was one of the stars in the play-in game as he recorded 22 points, 21 rebounds and six assists to help Portland to a 126-122 win over Memphis. The victory allowed the eighth-seeded Grizzlies to advance to play the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. --Field Level Media