(Reuters) – A second player for the NBA’s Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19, the team confirmed on Thursday, a day after the league said it was suspending the season until further notice amid the global coronavirus outbreak.
The team did not disclose the player’s identity. Media reports said it was All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell who had tested positive.
“We are working closely with the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Oklahoma and Utah state officials, and the NBA to monitor their health and determine the best path moving forward,” the team said in a statement.
The news came one day after Rudy Gobert reportedly became the first player in the league to test positive for the virus, prompting the cancellation of Wednesday’s Jazz game in Oklahoma City moments before tip-off.
Once the test result became known the game was called off.
“The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic,” the league said in its announcement that the season would be suspended.
Players from teams that Jazz has played in the past 10 days were told to self-quarantine, ESPN reported, citing sources.
Those teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors, the ESPN report added.
Jazz guard Evan Fournier on Wednesday said he had spoken to Gobert and that his fellow Frenchman was doing well.
“Was just on the phone with Rudy. He is doing good man. Let’s not panic everyone. Love you all,” he wrote on Twitter.
The NBA playoffs were scheduled to start on April 18 with the finals set to begin on June 4.
Reporting by Amy Tennery and Rory Carroll, Editing by Mark Heinrich and Ed Osmond
