Even during times of war or natural disaster, we have never seen multiple sports industries cancel or postpone their seasons. Welcome to the year 2020, and enter the Coronavirus pandemic. This virus has affected many people’s lives in such a short amount of time. It plays a pivotal part in the question, “Will we get to see anymore NBA games or even the NBA Playoffs?”
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the sports industry hard, especially the National Basketball Association. In early March, the NBA decided to suspend its season with still 259 NBA games left to be played before the playoffs start in late April, due to health officials advising to cancel large gatherings of people. It was estimated that the NBA would lose between $350-$450 million because of the canceled games.
After Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus, the league decided to suspend the season indefinitely in efforts to stop the spread of the virus. Many other major NBA athletes would contract the virus in the next few weeks. When news spread that another Utah Jazz superstar tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, this sent tons of panic around the league. Donovan Mitchell was the second known person in the NBA to test positive for the virus.
Mitchell did his first public interview since he tested positive for the Coronavirus on March 12th. Mitchell sat down with ABC’s Robin Roberts during an edition of Good Morning America. Mitchell repeatedly said he showed no symptoms or signs of the virus and has been quarantined since the beginning of his diagnosis. Mitchell said, “The biggest thing for me is just to stay in isolation and just keep to myself, I keep making the joke to people that if you were to tell me I might play in a seven-game series tomorrow, I’d be ready to lace up. I’m really blessed that that’s the case.”
There have been multiple reports of other teams in the NBA with players who have tested positive the Corona Virus.
The Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart announced on Twitter the status of his positive Coronavirus test on March 19th. He also had a message for a certain segment of the population, “The younger generation in our country MUST self-distance. This is not a joke.”
When news broke that four Brooklyn Nets players had contracted the virus, this was a huge scare for the NBA. It seems as if the virus is flowing through the league with multiple teams and players being affected. One player on the Brooklyn Nets came out to speak about the situation. Kevin Durant, in an interview, said, “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself ,and quarantine. We’re going to get through this.”
Even through these hard times, the NBA players have still been able to make light of the situation. Many athletes have taken this time to give their body the recovery time. NBA fan Cedric Rutlin was asked how he feels about the NBA postponing the season. Rutlin said, “I enjoy the NBA with a passion and since the league postponed games, it’s been difficult to find interesting things on TV to watch. Some athletes have taken vacations with family members to enjoy the time they might not have had during the season. The NBA expects the season to pick up were it left off in the near future, but in the meantime the league has worked with television stations, to bring old recorded games so fans have basketball to watch.”
Media by Brenden Rutlin.
