Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell tests positive for coronavirus
A second player for the NBA’s Utah Jazz tested positive for Covid-19, the team confirmed on Thursday, a day after the league said it was suspending the season until further notice amid the global coronavirus outbreak.
The team did not disclose the player’s identity but Utah’s All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell confirmed the report on Instagram and thanked everyone who had reached out to him since hearing about his positive test.
The news came one day after Rudy Gobert reportedly became the first player in the league to test positive for the virus, prompting the cancellation of Wednesday’s Jazz game in Oklahoma City moments before tip-off.
Once the test result became known the game was called off. “We are working closely with the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Oklahoma and Utah state officials, and the NBA to monitor their health and determine the best path moving forward,” the team said in a statement.
An ESPN report on Wednesday had stated Jazz players said Gobert showed a “cavalier attitude toward the virus” with his teammates, touching them and their belongings. That report appeared to be corroborated by a video that went viral on Monday night where Gobert jokingly touched all of the reporters’ microphones following a media availability.
Jazz guard Evan Fournier on
Wednesday said he had spoken to Gobert and that his fellow Frenchman was doing well. “Was just on the phone with Rudy. He is doing good man. Let’s not panic everyone. Love you all,” he wrote on Twitter.
Later Thursday, Gobert, an All-Star center and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, apologized for his “careless” actions in exposing others to the virus, expressing his hope that his “story serves as a warning and causes everyone to take this seriously”.
The NBA said it will use the hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.
Players from teams that the Jazz have played in the past 10 days were told to self-quarantine, ESPN reported. Those teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors, the ESPN report added.
Mitchell thanked authorities in Oklahoma who administered tests to the Jazz organization for being supportive.
“We are all learning more about the seriousness of this situation and hopefully people can continue to educate themselves and realize that they need to behave responsibly both for their own health and for the well being of those around them,” he wrote on Instagram. “I am going to keep following the advice of our medical staff and hope that we can all come together and be there for each other and our neighbors who need our help.”
The NBA playoffs were scheduled to start on 18 April with the finals set to begin on 4 June.