The Milwaukee Bucks center loves the national burrito chain. So do many of his colleagues. NBA players bounce from city to city on road trips, and few things are as reliable as that burrito or bowl or tacos. E. coli and norovirus cannot take that away.

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“I’m not worried; I’ll be all right,” Henson told Sporting News recently. “I actually like it more now because the lines aren’t as long.”

Sporting News has asked a half-dozen NBA players from different teams, on and off the record, about Chipotle and its recent outbreak. The respondents, all known to enjoy the chain in the past, were aware of the reports. Yet they all agreed: They still eat it, and they still love it.

(Disclosure: The reporter also eats Chipotle regularly, though not as often as Henson. However, the restaurant had no involvement in this story, financial or otherwise, beyond being dinner for the reporter the night the story was written. The reporter had a burrito with half carnitas and half chicken, plus white rice, black beans, hot salsa, corn salsa and sour cream.)

Hornets rookie Frank Kaminsky says his favorite food is pizza. But he’s an NBA player now, which means staying in shape and eating healthier. He switches between bowls and burritos at Chipotle — “I really like the sweet corn,” he told Sporting News — though he also gets double chicken. NBA players can afford these financial luxuries.

“I have a pretty good sense (of what to eat),” Kaminsky said, noting that team nutritionists have no issues with Chipotle. “I’m trying. I’m getting better with it. My body fat went down, so I’m proud about that.”

Henson’s thin frame means he probably doesn’t have to worry about those things. But he’s been on the Chipotle bandwagon for years, going back to his days at the University of North Carolina with fellow future NBA players Harrison Barnes, now a Warriors forward, and Kendall Marshall, a 76ers guard.

“That’s how we became friends in school, man,” Henson said. “It wasn’t the basketball team. We all had a common interest of Chipotle, and it manifested into this great relationship now with a couple of my best friends.”

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None of this is to make light of about 500 people reporting sicknesses of varying types after eating Chipotle in 2015. The linked illnesses were salmonella from tomatoes, norovirus brought in by employees and E. coli from an unidentified ingredient (with lettuce as the primary suspect). Chipotle will close its stores for a few hours on Feb. 8 to review safe food handling, and lawsuits are pending.

But Henson and others point to the variety and ambiguity of the sicknesses and feel as though any place could expose them to that kind of risk. With Chipotle, it’s worth it — though maybe not for everyone.

“We wanted to do a Chipotle catering thing,” Henson said. “But (the Bucks’ team nutritionist) said, ‘I can’t do that. What if y’all get sick? I’ll take the fall.’ "

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For players — especially those with Chipotle celebrity cards that grant them a free burrito a day — that’s a risk worth taking.

“I’m right there with John,” Barnes told Sporting News last month. “Hashtag stay strong, know what I’m saying — for Chipotle!”