Spurs News: NBA Suspends regular season after positive COVID-19 test

In breaking Spurs news, the NBA has decided to suspend the rest of the regular season following a player testing positive.

In one of the most surprising developments in recent sports history, the NBA has made the decision to suspend the remainder of the season. The Atheltic’s Shams Charania announced the news first on Twitter, with the additional note that the decision came after the decision came after the Utah Jazz’s center, Rudy Gobert, tested positive for COVID-19.

Just prior to tip-off between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder, a Thunder medical staffer ran on to the court, according to Royce Young.  Shortly after, both teams left the floor and went back to their respective locker rooms. Staff could be seen wiping down team benches shortly after.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski would later report that the NBA would be using the suspension to “determine next steps moving forward.”

Just earlier today the NBA had a league-wide conference call with all team governors to discuss possible plans of action for the rest of the year. Before the suspension of the season, Woj had also tweeted that the NBA had planned to play out the rest of the regular season, but without fans present in arenas.

In a recent report by Quentin Fottrell from Market Watch, a study published by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicated that COVID-19 could has an incubation period of 5.1 days. This time period lines up with the recommendation that all players on teams that had faced the Jazz within the last ten days self-quarantine, per Brian Windhorst with ESPN. 

All 30 NBA teams can be connected in just the last 5 days.

The NBA made the right decision to suspend this season. pic.twitter.com/jUy3X5zwTj

— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 12, 2020

There is still a lot of work to be done to contain the spread of the virus, both around the world and now within the NBA.

This shocking news comes on the heels of the announcement that the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments would be played without fans present. It would not be at all surprising if other leagues such as the MLB, MLS, and NHL decide to suspend or postpone their seasons as well.

We will continue to update this story as information comes out.