SALT LAKE CITY — Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the day Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19, which prompted the NBA to shut down.
On March 11, 2020, the Utah Jazz was in Oklahoma City for a game against the Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Gobert had been tested for the disease at a nearby hospital and the results came back shortly before tip-off that night.
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Referees gathered and instructed both Jazz coach Quin Snyder and Thunder coach Billy Donovan to take their players back to the locker room.
The floors cleared while referees continued their discussion. Moments later, the public address announcer informed fans that the game had been canceled.
According to the NBA, Gobert was not in the arena when the news of his preliminary positive test came out.
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"The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight's schedule of games until further notice," a March 11, 2020 statement from the NBA said. "The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in the coronavirus pandemic."
The NBA resumed its season 20 weeks later, on July 31, 2020, after keeping players and staff members confined in the so-called "NBA bubble" at a Disney complex in Orlando, Florida for several weeks.
The Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans played the first game of the resumed NBA season. No fans were allowed to attend.
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Today, the Utah Jazz has won more games than any other team during the 2020-21 season. The Jazz has 27 wins and nine losses this season, for a win ratio of .750 percent. This marks the best season start in Jazz history.
