Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has stirred panic after intentionally touching several reporter's microphones days before he was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The 27-year-old was attending a press conference held by the league on Monday to address the outbreak when the incident took place.
In a video that has surfaced on social media, Gobert is seen getting up from his seat and dramatically rubbing his hand across the microphones attached to the podium before exiting the room.
Two days later the NBA suspended its season after a Utah Jazz player rumored to be Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.
"The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19," the league said in a statement. "The test result was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of Wednesday's game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena."
The player was not at the arena, but the league made the decision to cancel the game and suspend gameplay "until further notice," the statement continued.
"The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic."
Attendance for sporting events across the globe have been negatively impacted amid the coronavirus epidemic. The NHL said it was re-evaluating its options and would be consulting with medical experts while the NCAA announced that its tournaments would take place without fans in attendance, The Washington Post reported. In Spain, the top soccer league La Liga announced that it will be postponing games.
In a
statement, NCAA president Mark Emmert said the organization would continue "to assess the impact of COVID-19 in consultation with public health officials and our COVID-19 advisory panel."
Emmert said his decision was based on advice from public health officials and the NCAA Board of Governors.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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