Rudy Gobert is the first NBA player to test positive for coronavirus. And just two days before his diagnosis, Gobert seemed to brush off the seriousness of the pandemic. While meeting in an interview room with reporters, Gobert was seen touching every reporters’ microphones in a jokingly manner to take aim at the NBA and its cautiousness of coronavirus. The video of Gobert touching the microphones surfaced on social media and it has gone viral.
“As part of the Jazz’s COVID-19 response, shootaround availability was done in the ZBBC media room today rather than on the court. As Rudy Gobert got finished discussing the situation, he stood up, leaned over and made it a point to touch every mic and recorder in front of him,” Salt Lake Tribune’s Eric Walden reported per PEOPLE.
Videos by PopCulture.com
With Gobert testing positive for coronavirus, it led to the NBA suspending the 2020 season.
So…here is Rudy touching all the mics following Mondays shoot around that has some people concerned… #TakeNote #utahjazz #CoronaVirus pic.twitter.com/dr4auECTr4
โ Dave Fox (@Davefox2) March 12, 2020
“The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminary tested positive for COVID-19. The test was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of tonight’s game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena,” the NBA said in a statement.
“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’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.”
Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for coronavirus. The NBA also ordered five teams that have played against the Jazz to self-quarantine themselves. Those teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors.
“I’m sure I probably had contact with [Gobert]. But at the same time, like I said, [I’m] just taking precautions,” Detroit’s Langston Galloway said. “We’ve been washing our hands, and when the reports started coming out, everybody’s kinda been on their hand sanitizer, washing their hands, just staying focused on that moment of, hey, [we have] interaction with a lot of different people and knowing that at the end of the day, you might’ve touched the ball, you might’ve interacted with a fan, and just being [cautious] with that going forward.”