The Utah Jazz and NBA were hit with devastating news last night following Rudy Gobert’s coronavirus test — the results were positive, and the NBA season was suspended.
March 11th, 2020 will be a day remembered forever in NBA history. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has tested positive for novel coronavirus, and as a result, the NBA will use a hiatus for the time being.
Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to break the news about Gobert.
The current novel coronavirus outbreak, that began on December 31st, 2019, has had the NBA world on their heels in recent weeks. The league was planning on playing games without fans, but after Gobert’s positive test, the necessary move was made to suspend the season.
This is way bigger than basketball. It’s unfortunate that we won’t have NBA basketball for an unknown period of time, but the health of the players, the fans and the people all across the world are what’s important right now.
Gobert, along with Emmanuel Mudiay, were listed as questionable to play in last night’s contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to an illness. Shortly before tip-off, Gobert’s positive results came back, the Jazz announced. The game was then postponed and both teams were quarantined in the arena.
If the results came back negative, Gobert was hoping to play in the game. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Utah Jazz All-Star is feeling good, strong and stable as he remains isolated.
Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier also let folks know on Twitter that he had spoken to his close friend on the phone, and that Gobert was doing well.
It is currently unknown if any other Utah Jazz players have novel coronavirus. As of now, they are still in the arena waiting to be tested, according to Royce Young of ESPN. The Oklahoma City Thunder were all tested and left the arena.
We here at The J-Notes are, of course, sending prayers to Rudy Gobert and everyone else that has been involved in this situation. We’ll keep you updated as the new information comes in.
Gobert has become a fan favorite during his time in Utah, so seeing him go through a difficult time is tough.
Gobert is young and in great health, so I have full confidence that he will make a full recovery. He has overcome bigger obstacles to get where he is in life. Stay strong, big fella!
This has been a very scary situation for everyone in the NBA. I’d like to personally thank everyone involved for their hard work. The NBA will be fine in the long run, and it’s because of people behind the scenes making these tough decisions.
For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.