NBA Suspends Season Until Further Notice Following Wednesday's Games

The NBA is suspending play until further notice following the conclusion of Wednesday's games as the league announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminarily tested positive for coronavirus. 

The player is Jazz center Rudy Gobert, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Per the NBA, the test result was reported shortly before tip-off of Wednesday's game between the Jazz and Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The affected player was not in the arena.

After taking part in normal warmups, players from both the Jazz and Thunder walked off the court just before tip-off, beginning what was a more than 30-minute delay. The game was eventually called off. 

Per ESPN's Royce Young, the Thunder's head team doctor came "sprinting" out to the court moments before tipoff in a move expected to be related to the cause of the delay.

Jazz guard Emmanuel Mudiay was also listed on the pregame injury report with an illness.

According to The Athletic's Tony Jones, players were quarantined in their respective locker rooms shortly after the game was called off.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told ESPN's Tim MacMahon that the NBA has told teams that they can continue to practice during the hiatus. Cuban added that players have been told they should not have visitors from out of town.

The NBA G League was also suspended in the wake of the pandemic, per an official release. 

In recent days, the spread of coronavirus has impacted countless sporting events throughout the world. A number teams and leagues have taken steps to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Multiple high-profile tournaments as well as individual games have restricted fan access while others have postponed or cancelled events entirely.

The Athletic's Sam Amick reported Wednesday afternoon that the NBA has considered a number of possible alternatives in light of the compounding COVID-19 virus, including pushing its season back.

The league has reportedly been asking teams to give their arena schedules through the end of July, indicating the possibility of postponing play for at least a month is being explored. Typically, the NBA postseason ends in early June.