Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz looks to drve past Raul Neto #19 of the Philadelphia 76ers during a game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 6, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz Point Guard Donovan Mitchell has tested positive for the coronavirus according to reports from ESPN.
According to NBA insider and ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski Mitchell has become the second Jazz player to contract the virus.
This comes after fellow teammate and Jazz Center Rudy Gobert’s positive test caused the NBA to suspend their season indefinitely.
The Utah Jazz released a statement about the “additional player” on Thursday morning. According to the statement, Mitchell is the only additional positive test.
“As a follow-up to yesterday’s positive COVID-19 test, Oklahoma health officials tested all members of the Utah Jazz traveling party, confirming one additional positive outcome for a Jazz player. We are working closely with the CDC, Oklahoma and Utah state officials, and the NBA to monitor their health and determine the best path moving forward.”
Local fans are reacting to the decision by the league to suspend the season. One fan, watching a smattering of Wednesday night games at Break Sports Grill, says people are currently recovering from coronavirus and believes the league could be overreaching, but ultimately the decision might also cut down on the rapid spread.
“Most people are recovering from it. That being said, I don’t know, is it a little bit of an overreaction? I don’t know, there’s a lot of people in a limited amount of space,” he says.
The manager of Break Sports Grill, Ryan Oliver, says he is worried about how the league’s decision will affect business at area sports bars.
“As long as this keeps going on, people are gonna be less likely to come out of their homes to a public place, so it definitely could affect business here,” says Oliver.
Oliver says it’s not just the loss of the NBA he’s worried about, but also now what may happen to another big draw, the upcoming NC double A tournament slated to start Thursday.