NBA Suspends Season due to Coronavirus, and the Crowds Went Wild....

Public events across the world, are cancelling in a domino effect due to the novel Coronavirus. The latest to get cancelled caused a massive letdown last night when announced. The NBA let the world know that it would be suspending its season this year.

Aside from the NBA taking this precaution as a means to help decrease the spread of coronavirus, it also stemmed from Utah Jazz all-star center Rudy Gobert testing positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, March 11.

Rudy Gobert via CNN

Gobert’s team was scheduled to play last night against Oklahoma City Thunder. The Utah Jazz team learned of Gobert’s diagnosis right before the game. Fans were already seated at Chesapeake Energy Arena, and ready to watch a good game, when they were told the game would be postponed due to Gobert’s diagnosis.

Gobert was not in the arena during the scheduled game. He was and continues to be in the care of health officials in Oklahoma City, according to the Jazz.

Fans walk out of Chesapeake Thunder Arena after they announced the game was postponed. via Los Angeles Times.

Later on, we were all served with the big one, no NBA season.

Although it is a huge letdown that we will have to do without an NBA season this year, we agree that it’s definitely a smart decision. Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said, “That close contact makes coronavirus a concern for the rest of the league”. And right he is. A contact sport is not a good idea with the current pandemic we are experiencing.

Before the suspension of the season announcement, the NBA, like other sports leagues, had been considering playing games without fans. But, as the rate of spread continues to increase, and now one of the league’s players infected with the virus, we can say they’ve made the right decision not only for their own risk, but to prevent the communal spread of coronavirus.

cover image via WSJ