Fans and players grapple with the NBA’s cancellation after Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert reportedly tests positive for COVID-19
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After news of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert testing positive for COVID-19, the NBA has effectively suspended the 2019-20 season. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed in a tweet that players from Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder are now in quarantine.
In an official statement, the league said that the result “was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of tonight’s game between the Jazz and the Thunders at Chesapeake Energy Arena,” but clarifying that the player (then unnamed in the statement) was not in the arena. The league was initially considering banning fans from games (something LeBron James was against). Stephen Curry also made his sentiments:
“Everything about our routines is reliant upon that kind of game day energy. Pulling up to the arena, seeing fans outside of Chase [Center] walking around in all the Warrior jerseys, even energy in the building, you can feel it all the way through the locker room, through the tunnel,” he said. “The only thing is try to have a conversation about how you raise your level of intensity from the jump because you don’t have that actual adrenaline rush of playing in front of 18,000 people like that.”
But in light of these new developments, all games have been suspended until further notice. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”
Many major sports events have also been forced to cancel or postpone their schedules. See here for the list.