Today, the unthinkable occurred. While league executives have been discussing precautionary measures for weeks, nobody truly expected Coronavirus to have such a deep impact on the sports world.
Just two days ago, Rudy Gobert mockingly touched every microphone in sight during his press conference to convey his lack of fear about coronavirus. Today, it was announced that he is the first NBA player to come down with the disease, and he is likely the reason why the season has been suspended. Gobert had been listed as questionable with flu-like symptoms, and he received his positive test result minutes before tip-off. The NBA announced that the Jazz-Thunder game would be canceled and players would be quarantined. Minutes later, the league announced that it had taken more drastic measures.
The NBA will supposedly use this “use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.” It is likely that every player who has played against the Jazz in the last two weeks will be tested and quarantined. It is possible that the NBA resumes its season at a much later date, but it seems extremely unlikely.
Nobody knows how this will affect the rest of the sports world. Earlier today, the NCAA announced that March Madness games will be held without fans. Now, it is uncertain if March Madness will even take place. The Seattle Mariners announced that they would not play their first seven home games in Seattle. Now, it is uncertain if the MLB season will be delayed.
At the moment all we can do is hope that the world is able to make massive progress in the fight against this global pandemic. Stay safe and healthy, my friends. As Mark Cuban said best, “It’s really not about basketball or money.” This is a worldwide problem and no matter how over-cautious it may seem, the NBA made the correct decision.
