Rudy Gobert’s positive test for coronavirus led to the suspension of the NBA season on Wednesday night. The decision was made after Gobert’s illness caused the late postponement of the Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game moments before tip-off.
Rudy Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell has tested positive for coronavirus, too
Rudy Gobert was careless with coronavirus symptoms. Donovan Mitchell has tested positive, too
Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Gobert’s all-star teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday morning, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Per Wojnarowski, Gobert was reportedly, “touching other players and their belongings” prior to testing positive for the virus. Wojnarowski described Gobert’s behavior as “careless.”
Gobert’s Jazz teammates were quarantined in the Oklahoma City locker room and tested for coronavirus following the postponement of the game and news of Gobert’s positive test.
Mitchell addressed his diagnosis on Instagram, writing ”Hopefully people can continue to educate themselves and realize they need to behave responsibly both for their own health and the well being of those around them.”
Gobert apologized on Instagram and admitted to being careless.
As the league braces for the next steps, it’s becoming clear Gobert was careless with his symptoms before the testing positive for the virus. On Monday, after the league instituted new rules that media must stand at least six feet from players, Gobert was seen touching media microphones as he exited a press conference:
The moment was originally reported by Eric Walden, who covers the Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune.
Gobert would be listed as questionable by the Jazz two days later for the game against the Thunder. A tweet comparing both reports side-by-side was widely passed around the internet by NBA fans.
Coronavirus is not a joke. Everyone needs to be careful.
Coronavirus was officially declared as a pandemic Wednesday afternoon by the World Health Organization. Because of the contagious nature of the virus, the league had no choice but to suspend the season once Gobert became its Patient Zero by testing positive.
Per a report from Wojnarowski, teams that faced the Jazz in the last 10 days must now be quarantined.
Players from teams the Jazz have played within the past 10 days were told to self-quarantine, sources told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Those teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors.
The Washington Wizards have also advised players to quarantine.
Follow Vox for more coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. We’ll update this story as it develops.
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