Steven Adams #12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder guards Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz during an opening night game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on October 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Alex Goodlett | Getty Images
The National Basketball Association has suspended its season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, the league announced Wednesday night.
The NBA said the report that the player tested positive came in shortly before the Jazz were scheduled to play the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday. The game, which was to be held in Oklahoma City, was canceled before it could start. Fans were told to leave the arena.
However, the NBA also said the Jazz player who tested positive for COVID-19 was not in the arena.
“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league’s statement said. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”
According to the official NBA injury report, 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 confirm whether or not Gobert or Mudiay tested positive for COVID-19.
Just before the game was about to start, an official got on the PA system and told spectators to leave “due to unforeseen circumstances” before commenting, “you are all safe,” and asking those in attendance to exit Chesapeake Energy Arena “in a orderly fashion.”
The NBA’s announcement Wednesday night was just the latest in a string of recent coronavirus-related shocks to the sports world.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors announced fans would not be allowed to attend its next home game after San Francisco Mayor London Breed banned all events with more than 1,000 people in the city.
The NCAA also announced on Wednesday that the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments would play in empty stadiums. Only team staff and family would be allowed to attend games.
The World Health Organization declared a pandemic Wednesday. So far, there have been at least 118,381 cases of coronavirus around the world, with at least 1,279 confirmed in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
