There was much speculation as to how the NBA would proceed for the remainder of the season in light of the coronavirus outbreak. The league initially planned on carrying on with their games sans fans—a move that LeBron James wasn't accepting of until he changed his mind following the mass panic.
According to a report by CBS News, there are 116,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide. The outlet claims that 64,000 people have recovered from the virus, while 4,000 others have died. On Wednesday (March 11), the NBA issued an official statement that all games have now been suspended "until further notice."
The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. 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. At that time, Wednesday's game was canceled. The affected player was not in the arena.
The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of Wednesday's schedule of games until further notice. The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.
CBS Sports reports that the player who tested positive is Rudy Gobert. Both Gobert and Emmanuel Mudiay were reportedly out sick and both Jazz and Thunder players have been quarantined.
