Last night, an NBA player tested positive for COVID-19, and the league IMMEDIATELY suspended the rest of the SEASON until further notice.
It all started when last night’s Oklahoma City Thunder / Utah Jazz game in Oklahoma City was postponed before tipoff. (Here’s video.) Sources say the infected player is Rudy Gobert of the Jazz. Rudy Gobert thought it was funny to touch every single mic and recorder in the media room.
Now, he has Coronavirus and the entire NBA season is suspendedpic.twitter.com/A22U5AgmBi
— Sports ReUp (@SportsReUp) March 12, 2020
Jazz and Thunder players were quarantined in the locker room, however, the NBA said the infected player (Gobert) was NOT in the arena. His test results had just been released and the league was very concerned because of all the contact he’s had with others beforehand.
For starters, it sounds like he’s okay. He was sick, and tested negative for the flu, strep throat, and a respiratory infection. His symptoms had been improving, but as a precautionary measure, they tested him for COVID-19, and it was positive. Gobert hasn’t commented.
The NBA needed to intervene. During the past 10 days, Utah has played the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Pistons, and the Toronto Raptors.
NBA To Suspend Season Following Tonight’s Games pic.twitter.com/2PTx2fkLlW
— NBA (@NBA) March 12, 2020
Since the virus can take up to two weeks to be symptomatic, players from those teams, as well as personnel from the Jazz, have been advised to self-quarantine.
The NBA hasn’t said how long the season might be suspended, because it’s too early for anyone to know the extent of the situation. And along those lines, there’s also no word how it will the playoffs in a couple months.
