Nurkic pleads for mask use as grandmother suffers from COVID-19

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic played his first official NBA game since March 2019 on Friday, but his thoughts afterward were with his grandmother.

"The last couple of days have been the toughest days of my life, and my grandma got COVID and she's in a coma. Please take care of yourself, wear a damn mask," Nurkic said, according to Blazer Banter's Erik Garcia Gundersen.

"Right now, as far as I know, she's in a coma," Nurkic elaborated, according to NBC Sports' Dylan Mickanen. "People don't understand how serious this shit is."

Nurkic had 18 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, five assists, and two steals in the Blazers' 140-135 overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite fouling out, it was a stellar performance after spending the last 16 months recovering from a gruesome compound fracture in his left leg.