The NBA has suspended the 2019-20 season after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday.
The NBA decided after a game between the Jazz, and Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed, then eventually called off.
According to a statement from the NBA, the test result was reported shortly before tip-off. ESPN’s Royce Young said that a team doctor was seen sprinting onto the floor to talk to officials before the game tipped off.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Gobert felt well enough to play before Wednesday’s game.
According to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune, after media availability on Monday, Gobert stood up and touched every reporter’s microphones. The NBA started a new policy earlier this week to keep reporters out of locker rooms and 6-8 feet from players during media availability.
Here’s a video of the moment:
—Abdul Memon (@abdulamemon) March 12, 2020
The Jazz recently finished a four-game road trip that included stops in Cleveland, New York, Boston, and Detroit from March 2 to March 7. They played the Toronto Raptors in Utah on March 9.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, both teams are still quarantined in the arena in Oklahoma City. Wojnarowski said Wednesday night would be the final night of games for the foreseeable future as the NBA enters a hiatus.
On Wednesday, it was announced that the Golden State Warriors would play the NBA’s first game in an empty arena due to the spread of coronavirus in San Francisco. Shortly after, amid calls to keep fans from arenas, reports circulated that the NBA was bracing for the season to be suspended. If any player tested positive, that player and their teammates, coaches, and staff, would enter a 14-day quarantine. The same could extend to recent opponents.
The domino effects of the suspension are yet to be known. If the NBA keeps its current format intact once the season resumes, it could see the calendar change, with the playoffs, draft, and free agency pushed back.
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