NBA Abruptly Suspends Season

After the NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder was abruptly delayed seconds before it was due to start Wednesday night and then called off, the NBA announced that the season is being suspended until further notice because a player has tested positive for coronavirus. The NBA said the suspension would start after Wednesday night's games had concluded. "The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic," the league said in a statement Wednesday night. Sources tell ESPN that the player who tested positive is Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz.

According to ESPN's sources, Utah's players remained in the Oklahoma City arena after Thunder players left and they may have to be cleared by Utah authorities before they can return to the state. The sources say teams that have played the Jazz in the last 10 days, including the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, have been told players should self-quarantine. The Utah Jazz said in a statement that one of its players was tested for COVID-19 after testing negative for influenza, and the positive result arrived just before tip-off Wednesday. CBS Sports reports that Gobert, apparently "sending a message about his fearlessness in regards to the disease," deliberately touched every microphone on the podium during a press appearance Monday. (More coronavirus stories.)