NBA Suspends Play

Minutes before tipoff of the Jazz vs. Thunder NBA game Wednesday night, the game was postponed due to the belief that Rudy Gobert was infected with the Coronavirus. Gobert was taken to the hospital and confirmed to have the virus along with All-Star teammate Donovan Mitchell.

The original idea for the NBA was to play games with no fans due to the spread of the Coronavirus. Instead, the NBA ruled Wednesday night to suspend the 2019-2020 season indefinitely. The NBA board of governors meeting was set to take place at 12:30 ET today, but the meeting was moved back to 3:00 p.m.

The NBA has suspended the season.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020

Current League Standing

Prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, the NBA season was about three-quarters of the way completed. In the Eastern Conference, the Bucks had the best record at 52-12 behind MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. The rest of the top eight teams of the Eastern Conference rankings are as follows: Raptors (46-18), Celtics (43-21), Heat (41-24), Pacers (39-26), 76ers (39-26), Nets (30-34), and Magic (30-35).

The Western Conference is lead by Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers with a record of 49-14. The rest of the top eight teams of the Western Conference are as follows: Clippers (44-20), Nuggets (43-22), Jazz (41-23), Thunder (40-24), Rockets (40-24), Mavericks (40-27), and Grizzlies (32-33).

For stat leaders, James Harden is leading the league in scoring averaging 34.4 points per game. Lebron James is leading the league in assists averaging a career-high 10.6 assists per game. Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons is leading the league in rebounds averaging an impressive 15.2 boards per game. Lastly, Portland Trailblazers center Hassam Whiteside is leading the league in blocks averaging 3.07 blocks per game.

Players Reaction

Following the suspension, NBA players have begun to react on social media. Star players Tweeting include Lou Williams, LeBron James, and CJ McCollum.

https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1237901316174655490

https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1237972755275870208

CJ McCollum specifically gave some advice to players regarding saving their money, while not being able to play basketball.

I hope all the players take some time to really work on life outside of basketball . Using your resources and celebrity to your advantage . Take the meetings. Diversify and learn to explore other avenues of income while you’re still in the league. Bc when it’s over it’s over !

— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) March 12, 2020