Boston Celtics veteran guard Marcus Smart has made a career for himself guarding any player on the court, and now he plans on defending people he may never meet — with his blood plasma.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports the Oklahoma State product plans to let his plasma be used to help others fight off the coronavirus which causes COVID-19.
The new treatment — first used in Smart’s native Texas in a Houston-area hospital — uses antibodies from a patient who has recovered from the viral infection behind the pandemic, reports the Houston Chronicle’s Todd Ackerman.
The concept reportedly dates back to the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic erroneously called the “Spanish Flu” (its true provenience is unknown).
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart plans to donate his blood plasma to National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project for research on the blood of those recovered from coronavirus, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 1, 2020
For now at least it remains unknown whether such an intervention will be effective with this particular coronavirus, but scientists are hopeful.
“Convalescent serum therapy could be a vital treatment route because unfortunately there is relatively little to offer many patients except supportive care, and the ongoing clinical trials are going to take a while,” Houston Methodist Hospital’s Research Institute’s Dr. Eric Salazar said.
“We don’t have that much time,” he added.
Ackerman reports the FDA has fast-tracked the research in light of the urgency created by the pandemic, and they have since begun asking for donations from recovered patients treated at the hospital.
Smart’s plasma will go to the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project, which the Houston hospital was the first product of, according to Quartz’ Tim McDonnell.
“If an infusion … can help save the life of a critically ill patient, then applying the full resources of our blood bank, our expert faculty, and our academic medical center is … important to do,” noted Dr. Marc Boom, Houston Methodist’s president and chief executive officer.
As Charania notes, Smart has been at the forefront of advocacy in the NBA and more generally among celebrities.
Smart has been one of the NBA’s strongest player voices on coronavirus since announcing his positive diagnosis two weeks ago. The NBA is supporting the plasma research project. https://t.co/YUiTgnU63Y
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 1, 2020
The Flower Mound native has been calling for physical distancing and self-quarantine on social media.
Smart has also spoken on CNN to alert others to the danger of asymptomatic carriers since news of his positive diagnosis in mid-March.
The Celtic defensive specialist also among the NBA’s first known players to have recovered from the virus, and the very first to try and weaponize that status for the benefit of others.
The MDs RNs & other healthcare professionals are the real heroes these days, but this is First Team All-Defense in action right here! Others who have recovered from COVID-19 can register here for info on (safely!) donating plasma for research or treatment: https://t.co/jueCWh7udX https://t.co/XtU6JPcMJJ
— Mike Zarren (@mikezarren) April 1, 2020
Boston Assistant GM and team counsel Mike Zarren took the news as an opportunity to share where others can do the same, linking to a donor form for the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project on Twitter.
If you or someone you know has recovered and might be interested in doing the same, contact the Project in the linked donor form here.
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