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Smart among NBA players to donate blood plasma for COVID-19 research

Kent Smith / National Basketball Association / Getty

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Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart confirmed through his agent that he plans to donate his blood plasma to the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project (CCPP19) to help with its research, according to Dr. Mark Abdelmalek and Lucien Bruggeman of ABC News.

Dr. Michael Joyner, a member of the CCPP19 leadership team, told ABC News that Smart is among at least four recovered NBA players who intend to share their blood for an experimental treatment that could help high-risk patients overcome the virus.

"These are big men with blood volumes, and as a result have a lot of plasma volume," Joyner said. "Frequently people who are physically trained also have an increase in their plasma volume from what you would expect from them just being regular-sized guys."

Joyner believes the experimental treatment "can be disease-modifying and reduce duration and severity in some patients."

Smart said Sunday he was given a clean bill of health by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He was one of 15 confirmed members of NBA organizations to contract the virus.

The NBA reportedly requested that individuals who've recovered from COVID-19 consider donating their plasma as part of an ongoing effort to establish a potential treatment. The league is supporting CCPP19 through its "NBA Together" initiative.

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