DALLAS _ Some NBA players have decided not to play for the United States in the Olympics because of the Zika virus that's stationed in Rio de Janeiro.
But that's not the case with Harrison Barnes.
The newest member of the Dallas Mavericks, Barnes will be one of the 12 players representing the USA in the Rio Olympics. Medical officials have made the 6-foot-8 small forward aware of the health risks, thus he figures the rewards far outweigh the risks.
"Yeah, there's some risk involved with it," Barnes said Tuesday at American Airlines Center. "They didn't try to downplay that at all.
"But they talked about the fact that it's winter there, there will be less mosquitoes, the fact that we'll be as protected as possible. More than likely, if you know you're not trying to have children the past six to eight months after you come back, there hasn't been any cases (of Zika) that lasted longer than that."
LeBron James, Stephen Curry _ Barnes' former Golden State Warrior teammate _ and Kawhi Leonard are all skipping the Rio Olympics, mainly because of their fears of contracting the Zika virus. But that doesn't upset Barnes.
"It's a per-basis situation," Barnes said. "Some people have kids, or wives that are pregnant, or some people are trying to have kids.
"So it's a different situation for everyone."
