Friday, March 13, 2020
On Wednesday, the United States’ National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended its professional basketball season due to concerns regarding COVID-19. The NBA’s decision followed a Utah Jazz player testing positive for the COVID-19 virus.
The NBA did not release the identity of the player in question in its announcement. They did say he was not present at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, where the Utah Jazz were to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
According to its press release, the NBA was “suspending game play following the conclusion of [Wednesday’s] schedule of games until further notice.” The Jazz’s game was cancelled, as was another NBA game Wednesday between the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans. Other games scheduled for Wednesday were still held, according to NBC News.
The United States’ other major basketball organization, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which runs college basketball, has cancelled its own tournament, March Madness, for both men’s and women’s leagues.
According to Johns Hopkins University, as of Wednesday, there were at least 1,279 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States. CNBC reported there were at least 118,381 cases worldwide.