Utah Jazz small forward Joe Ingles is a father first, then a basketball player.
So, it shouldn't surprise anyone to hear that the Jazz's sharpshooter is ready to leave the NBA for good if it means it will protect his autistic son from COVID-19:
“If you had to tell me that you could never play again to protect Jacob from this, I would walk away, fly to Australia and never play another game in my life and be very content with it,” Joe Ingles told Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“I could walk out of this gym now, in the clothes I’m in, and go to the airport. I would have zero issues (with that choice) because I wouldn’t want to put my family through that. I don’t want to put Jacob through that. I don’t want to put his sister (Milla) through that, and I definitely don’t want to put his mother through that. So it’s really hard.”
The NBA was forced to suspend play after Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Utah shooting guard Donovan Mitchell contracted it as well, but they were the only two Jazz players to test positive.
Because Ingles' son is autistic, he's more immune to COVID-19 due to his weakened immune system. The Jazz veteran loves basketball, but nothing comes before family.
No one has any idea if games are going to resume in the summer. The Jazz won 41 games before play was suspended. They were in fourth place in the rugged Western Conference standings with a record of 41-23.
Ingles has appeared in 64 games for the Jazz this season. He's averaging 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
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