After Italy suspended its Serie A football season earlier this week, another sporting league has also decided to suspend its season due to the pandemic.
Player tested positive
ABC News reported that the National Basketball Association (NBA) has suspended its season following games played on Thursday (12 March).
According to the report, the decision was made after the match between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder was suspended mid-game.
The NBA said in a statement that a Utah Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus.
The player in question is center Rudy Gobert, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
"The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19
Bizarre scene in OKC. Jazz and Thunder warmed up, but the players were told to go back to the locker room before tipoff. They are waiting for league confirmation to start.
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) March 12, 2020
(?:@TravisSingleton)pic.twitter.com/ZgTDk6Riaa
"The test result was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of tonight’s game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. At that time, tonight’s game was canceled. The affected player was not in the arena."
NBA To Suspend Season Following Tonight's Games pic.twitter.com/2PTx2fkLlW
— NBA (@NBA) March 12, 2020
The league also said that the season will be suspended indefinitely, and they will "use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic."
This came after fellow athlete Daniele Rugani, who plays football for Juventus FC, was tested positive for the virus on Wednesday (11 March).
The football club announced that Rugani is currently being quarantined, along with all the people he has had contact with in recent weeks.