NBA
(Photo : Reuters)

The National Basketball Association announced on Wednesday that they are suspending the remainder of the season after a player from Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus.

The test result was announced just before the game starts between Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The player from Utah Jazz who tested positive for the coronavirus was not at the arena when the announcement was made.

According to a recent article, the NBA is suspending all its games and will determine either to move the season or to resume the games in empty arenas. 

It can be recalled that the NBA has released a memorandum to all teams informing all players that they need to prepare themselves in playing in empty arenas if coronavirus outbreak gets worst. 

Read related article: Lebron James to NBA, "I Will Not Play in Empty Arenas"

Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz player who tested positive for coronavirus was Rudy Gobert. It was reported that Gobert was feeling good, strong, stable, and ready to play. Moreover, a recent report from a sports news said that Gobert was not in the Arena during his team's game against OKC Thunders. 

The announcement was made just right before the tip-off and players returned to their locker rooms. Fans were also told to leave the Arena in an orderly manner.

At present, players of Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunders are now being quarantined and observed. They are also being tested for coronavirus.

According to the Utah Jazz, Gober tested negative for influenza, strep throat, and upper respiratory infection on Wednesday morning. However, he also went into a coronavirus test as part of the precautionary measures. His test result arrived just before the game started.

The NBA team owners convened immediately after the announcement was made. They need to come up in a decision either to postpone the game or to play with empty arenas. The decision is expected to be announced to the public on Thursday.

Before the NBA announced the suspension of its season after one of its players tested positive for coronavirus, NCAA has already announced that they will have their games in empty arenas.

This is not the first time that a major league has decided to either postpone, suspend, or play the games without tournaments. It can be recounted that all European Sports Leagues will be played in empty arenas and stadiums.

The announcement of the NBA to suspend its season is yet the latest in the United States that limit large gatherings such as sports league in an attempt to control the spread of the virus. 

The number of infected people as of Wednesday has reached 1,000. Overall, there are more than 121,000 people infected worldwide according to the World Health Organization. 

The number of infected persons in the world continues to swell and it has impacted most of the industries in the world. That includes sports league which decided to postpone or either play the games without fans, cinemas were shut down and the premiere of some movies was moved like the latest James Bond movie, and more.