NEW YORK – The NBA on Wednesday suspended its season until further notice after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league’s owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.
Now, there will be no games at all, at least for the time being.
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The Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert, and the Orlando Magic recently used the same airplane that Gobert and his team flew on. Gobert’s teammate, Donovan Mitchell, has also tested positive.
Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins said the team was assured by Delta that the plane had been cleaned with FAA-approved sanitizer after the Jazz used it.
Martins said no Magic players are showing symptoms of coronavirus, therefore none has been tested.
Martins also released a statement about the suspension of the season.
“As we’ve said from the beginning, the health and safety of our fans, employees, players and partners is our top priority and thus we fully support the NBA’s decision to postpone games," he said. "We will continue to stay in contact with the league and local, state and federal health experts as we closely monitor this public health crisis. During this period of increased focus on public health due to COVID-19, we ask that our fans continue to practice healthy habits as outlined by the CDC.”
The Magic said that tickets already purchased for a postponed game will be honored when the game is rescheduled.
If games are not played or played in an empty-arena, fans will have the option to receive a credit for a future game or a refund.
Fans can log on to OrlandoMagic.com, where ticket and future schedule information will be announced.