Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell reportedly tests positive for coronavirus

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says league sources claim "Rudy Gobert had been careless in the locker room touching other players and their belongings." Gobert is reportedly the NBA's Patient Zero for coronavirus after becoming the first player in the league to test positive.

Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has tested positive for the coronavirus, league sources tell ESPN. Jazz players privately say that Rudy Gobert had been careless in the locker room touching other players and their belongings. Now a Jazz teammate has tested positive.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020

Mitchell is a former University of Louisville star and a teammate of Gobert. Mitchell posted on Instagram on Thursday that he will "keep following the advice of our medical staff and hope that we can all come together and be there for each other and our neighbors who need our help."

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Thanks to everyone who has been reaching out since hearing the news about my positive test. We are all learning more about the seriousness of this situation and hopefully people can continue to educate themselves and realize that they need to behave responsibly both for their own health and for the well being of those around them. I appreciate the authorities in Oklahoma who were helpful with the testing process and everyone from the @utahjazz who have been so supportive. I am going to keep following the advice of our medical staff and hope that we can all come together and be there for each other and our neighbors who need our help❤️🕷

A post shared by Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) on Mar 12, 2020 at 10:20am PDT

Associated Press basketball writer Tim Reynolds said Goibert joked about the virus Monday before leaving a post-practice interview. The 7-foot-1 Frenchman then touched all the tape recorders that were placed before him on a table, devices that reporters who cover the Utah Jazz were using. "It isn’t so funny now," Reynolds writes in a column Thursday.

The NBA shutdown could cost teams well into the hundreds of millions of dollars depending on how long the shutdown lasts. Those teams that have faced Gobert in recent days will likely face some testing. And some of those Jazz reporters said they were getting tested for COVID-19, just in case.

“It’s unprecedented,” Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “I think it’s the prudent thing to do. And what went on in Utah, I don’t know all the information but that just shows you how fragile everything is right now.”

This is the reality of the coronavirus, which was labeled a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday weeks after beginning its havoc-wreaking global run that has sickened well over 100,000 and killed more than 4,000.

Charlotte coach James Borrego said these are scary times in the NBA, and no one argued.

“They’re all concerned and rightfully so,” Casey said. “Everybody in our league should be concerned. I think everybody in our country right now, more than just basketball, is concerned. We all have to take care of ourselves and look out for our fellow man.”

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.