There was a reported rift between Utah Jazz All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the rough patch in their relationship appears to have been healed.
According to Jazz executive vice president Dennis Lindsey, via The Salt Lake Tribune's Eric Walden on Twitter, both Mitchell and Gobert are “ready to put this behind them and move forward.” Lindsey added they “fully expect the team to come together.”
In video chat with with local media, Jazz exec Dennis Lindsey said Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are "ready to put this behind them and move forward. We fully expect the team to come together."
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) May 5, 2020
Mitchell, per reports, grew frustrated with Gobert when the Frenchman became patient zero for coronavirus in the NBA. After a test for COVID-19 came back positive right before tip-off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in mid-March, the Jazz saw their season — along with the rest of the league— suspended until further notice.
Mitchell became the only other Utah player to test positive for COVID-19, but other players and members of NBA organizations later saw cases for coronavirus.
To be clear, it's totally unclear whether Gobert directly passed the pandemic-level virus to Mitchell. There have been a lot of cases when a coronavirus-positive patient is symptom-free, so it is hard to determine who infected who.
However, Gobert has been labeled the poster child for coronavirus in sports, with the major leagues in North America shutting down due to the public health crisis.
At one point, rumors spun speculations that Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell could be traded by the Jazz due to the busted relationship between the Western Conference stars. Fortunately, according to Lindsey, that isn't an option.
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