Getty NBA commissioner Adam Silver ruled to have the NBA season suspended and not canceled at this point due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The NBA season hasn’t been canceled, at least not yet.
On Wednesday night, the NBA suspended its season after Utah Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert tested positive for Coronavirus.
Rudy Gobert’s Negligent Behavior
Unfortunately, Gobert also playfully and deliberately touched the microphones and recorders of the members of the media who were in attendance for a press conference on Monday night.
His actions, while not malicious, could have worsened the situation. Also, there is no way to know how long Gobert has had the virus in his system, so no one knows how many players if any have contracted it from the 27-year-old Frenchman.
NBA is Making the Right Call
If you’re thinking the NBA might be moving too hastily in suspending its season, StatMuse posted an interesting and informative graphic showing how all 30 teams have been exposed to the Jazz directly or indirectly in the last five days.
All 30 NBA teams can be connected in just the last 5 days.
The NBA made the right decision to suspend this season.
As it stands, there are no confirmations on when the NBA season will resume, only uncertainty.
In my hotel now and I’m def watching the rest of this Nuggets Mavs game cuz I don’t know when we’ll see the next NBA game. This is such a weird feeling right now
As a matter of fact, there is a growing concern in other sports.
National Hockey League Statement Regarding Coronavirus: t.co/AKrmh8ao4F
Fred Hoiberg Showing Signs of Illness
Former NBA player, head coach and current Nebraska college basketball head coach Fred Hoiberg left the court with an apparent illness on Wednesday night, just about an hour after the Gobert news broke.
Hoiberg hasn’t been officially diagnosed with Coronavirus, but the capture of this moment is evidence of how concerning the world’s health situation has become in light of the outbreak. You’d have to think just about all other sports will have to follow the NBA’s lead and at least take enhanced precautions to ensure there is no spread of the disease in the large gatherings created by sporting events.
Looking Ahead to the Rest of the 2019-20 NBA Season
How will the NBA settle the 2019-20 season? That’s still to be determined.
It’s possible the remainder of the regular season will be foregone, and the league will reconvene for the postseason which traditionally starts in April. That may be enough time to quarantine, test and/or treat anyone who has been infected. For now, it is a scary and serious situation around the NBA, sports and throughout the world.
As more information becomes available on the NBA season, its resumption or its cancellation, those updates will be posted here.
First Update
Mark Cuban says the NBA has told teams that they can continue to practice. He adds that players have been told they should not have visitors from out of town.
Second Update
NBA’s G League follows suit. Unprecedented night.
Third Update
The NBA season is likely to resume, and the league has options, per @HowardBeck:
Games could return in April and possibly go straight into the playoffs, or the league could push the entire calendar back
Fourth Update
Source to @YahooSports: NBA Owner call just ended. 30 day shutdown then everything will be re-assessed. Some suggested every player will be tested for COVID-19 in the meantime
Fifth Update
#NHLBruins release statements from Cam Neely, Don Sweeney, Bruce Cassidy, Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron on the suspension of the NHL season due to COVID-19. “Difficult to process” for the team but understand this is “much larger than sports”:
Sixth Update
With multiple players now having tested positive for the Coronavirus, there is an even more indeterminate estimation on when or if the 2019-20 NBA season will resume. NBA Players Union Director Charles Grantham explains the NBA’s decision to suspend the season rather than to cancel it.
The video comes from HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy:
Former NBA Players’ Union executive director Charles Grantham discusses why the NBA chose to suspend the season rather than cancel it, and what’s next for the league:
This latest bit from Grantham offers some hope for the NBA season and also for people in the United States overall.
In many ways, the regulation of the sports calendar could be a clear sign the government has gotten a significant handle on the spread of the Coronavirus. When we begin to see professional sports return, it’ll be a positive even for the non-sports fan.
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