NBA star Rudy Gobert slammed for idiotic, potentially-deadly joke

Two days before testing positive for the coronavirus, Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert made light of the pandemic sweeping the globe by snubbing his nose at measures put in place to protect NBA players and media covering the game.

After answering questions at a press conference, Gobert attempted an ill-advised joke where he made a point of touching every microphone and voice recorder on the table in front of him before leaving the room.

The footage went viral today and drew widespread condemnation after Gobert's positive test forced the league to suspend its season.

American news editor Jason Schreier said Gobert "should be banned for life".

That video of Gobert - who’s earning $23 million this season - purposefully coughing on the microphones of young journalists and beat reporters is so infuriating

— John Solano (@Solano_56) March 12, 2020

The NBA will suspend play starting on Friday.

The test result was reported shortly before Utah's game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City was to begin, and that game was abruptly postponed.

The league said the affected player was not at the arena. "The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight's schedule of games until further notice," the league said. "The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic."

Team owners had been discussing Wednesday how best the league should respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

Mark Cuban reacts moments after the NBA season was suspended. pic.twitter.com/4g8Z7yLts6

— ESPN (@espn) March 12, 2020

The Golden State Warriors confirmed they would host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in San Francisco behind closed doors after San Francisco city officials announced a two-week ban on all gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

NBA owners on Wednesday were discussing whether to delay the season or instead play in closed arenas league-wide.

The decision was made after the confusing scenes in Oklahoma City, where Jazz and Thunder players took the court to warm up, but shortly before the scheduled tip-off were sent to their locker rooms before police began to clear the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Sport is supposed to be an escape from real life ... but 2020 apparently has a previously unseen capacity to defy that notion

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 12, 2020

Gobert's teammate Emmanuel Mudiay was also listed as suffering from an undisclosed illness on the team's injury report.

Six NBA games were scheduled for Wednesday and four were underway when the game in Oklahoma City was called off.

"It's unprecedented," Detroit coach Dwayne Casey — whose Pistons fell to the 76ers in Philadelphia — said of the decision to suspend the season. "I think it's the prudent thing to do."