Another NBA Player Has Tested Positive for Coronavirus

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to ESPN. It comes a day after teammate Rudy Gobert also tested positive and the NBA suspended its regular season.

Gobert, a center, “had been careless in the locker room touching other players and their belongings,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Twitter.

On Wednesday night, a video resurfaced from earlier this week of Gobert touching reporters’ microphones and recording devices in a press room, apparently to mock the NBA’s recently implemented social distancing measures.

Both Gobert and Mitchell were selected to play in the NBA All-Star game this year. Mitchell was recently named as a finalist for the U.S. men’s national team ahead of this summer’s scheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo.

After Gobert’s positive test on Wednesday, the league suspended the regular season indefinitely. “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. The league was expected to hold a call Thursday afternoon with its board of governors outlining next steps.

The coronavirus panic has proliferated elsewhere throughout the world of sports. The NCAA announced on Wednesday that fans would not be allowed at its national championship tournaments, and at least two English Premier League clubs currently have players in isolation with coronavirus symptoms.

Cover: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz dribbles the ball during a game against the Toronto Raptors at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 9, 2020 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)