NBA Suspends 2019/20 Season After Player Tests Positive for Coronavirus

By
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: March 12, 2020
710

The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday night suspended its season indefinitely after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the deadly coronavirus.

“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of [Wednesday night’s] schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”

Image result for nba coronavirus twitter — SOURCE

Shortly afterward, the National Hockey League said that it is “continuing to consult with medical experts and is evaluating the options” for its ongoing season.

“We expect to have a further update” Thursday, the NHL said.

The NBA said it learned the unidentified Utah player tested positive shortly before the Oklahoma City Thunder was set to host the Jazz on Wednesday.

That game was canceled close to the scheduled tipoff in Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Fans already in attendance were told by an official on the public address system to leave “due to unforeseen circumstances.”

“You are all safe,” the official said, before asking spectators to exit “in an orderly fashion.”

The NBA said that the Jazz player who tested positive for the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, was not in the arena.

Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Emmanuel Mudiay were both listed as out of Wednesday’s game due to “illness.”

The NBA’s statement did not reveal whether Gobert or Mudiay tested positive for coronavirus, nor did it identify any other player.

Also Read: FIFA and AFC Agree to Postpone Asian World Cup Qualifiers

The NBA game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings for Wednesday in Sacramento also was canceled, for what the league said was “an abundance of caution.”

Image result for nba coronavirus — SOURCE

“One of the referees assigned to work in the game also worked a Utah Jazz game earlier this week,” the league said.

Wednesday’s other scheduled NBA games were played.

The NBA’s announcement, which comes as the league’s playoffs are scheduled to begin in mid-April, was the latest in a recent string of coronavirus-related shocks to the sports world. So far, there have been at least 118,381 cases of coronavirus around the world. At least 1,279 cases are confirmed in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University