Former Golden State Warriors guard Leandro Barbosa and his wife, model Talita Rocca, both had the coronavirus when she gave birth on March 22, according to the New York Times.
Barbosa, currently playing for the Minas Tênis Clube in Brazil, found out he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 21.
Rocca was 38 weeks pregnant and undiagnosed at the time. Doctors, afraid she had contracted it, decided she should be induced into labor as soon as possible.
Barbosa joined as best he could through FaceTime. Rocca’s mother was in the delivery room with her.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Barbosa told Marc Stein of the NYT. “All I did is just talk on the phone: ‘Listen, you’re going to have to do it by yourself.’ I told my wife, ‘Think on the baby, not on me.’”
Thankfully, the baby was born and did not have the coronavirus.
One of the most popular Warriors from their big run — Leandro @TheBlurBarbosa — shares the scary tale of he and wife Talita contracting COVID-19 days before she was to give birth … Mom, Dad & Baby Isabela are all healthy and together now. For @NYTSports: https://t.co/AfJ6gn92KN
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 27, 2020
Barbosa first felt symptoms March 14 and they escalated the next few days. The most brutal time was March 17, which Barbosa called “the worst night of my life.”
“Really, I felt that I was going to die, my man,” he said. “I was having a crazy fever. My head was extremely bad. My nose felt like it was closed, but it wasn’t closed. I was feeling a lot of pain in my back — I couldn’t find a position to lay down.”
The family driver helped nurse him that night and then drove him back to São Paulo the following day.
Marcelo, the basketball player’s brother, insisted Barbosa stay with him instead of isolating.
Again, there was some luck in the Barbosa family.
“Talita’s mother didn’t get the corona. My brother didn’t get the corona. My driver didn’t get the corona. Just me and my wife, man. Can you believe that?” Barbosa said.
Barbosa played on the Warriors for two seasons from 2014 through 2016. He spent the bulk of his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns, where he played for nine total seasons over three different stints.
With Minas Tênis Clube this season, his 20.1 points per game this season tops the Novo Basquete Brasil league.
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