The NBA has suspended the 2019-20 season after a Utah Jazz player, reportedly Rudy Gobert, tested positive for COVID-19. Games in progress on the night of March 11 will be completed.
The league postpone Wednesday’s game between the Thunder and the Jazz. Players and officials were told to walk off the floor while awaiting a decision from the league, and then the announcement was made to a jeering Oklahoma City crowd. Prior to the game on Wednesday, the team announced that Gobert and Emmanuel Mudiay were both out for the game due to an illness.
The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called off. Players were on the floor for warmups and tip-off was moments away when they were told to return to their locker rooms. About 30 minutes later, fans were told the game was postponed “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
Those circumstances were the league’s worst-case scenario for now — a player testing positive. A second person who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity said the league expects the shutdown to last a minimum of two weeks, but cautioned that time frame is very fluid.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.