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Karma seems to have hit Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert right in the teeth.
Gobert reportedly made it a point to touch the microphones and recorders of every reporter around him in the media room on Monday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9m04hmBjTI/
Now two days later, Gobert is reportedly dealing with an illness and has been listed as questionable for the Jazz in Wednesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, per Royce Young of ESPN.
I’m now told by Jazz PR that Quin Snyder misunderstood my question and that Rudy Gobert is still listed as questionable to play.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) March 11, 2020
Apparently, Gobert did not get the memo.
The NBA intentionally mandated all teams to provide a separate media room in response to the spread of coronavirus. But this appeared to be more of a laughing matter to Gobert.
Of course, it cannot simply be assumed Gobert's illness stems directly from this incident. But given the steps taken by the league and the pandemic nature of coronavirus, it is hard not to be skeptical.
The Jazz will almost certainly have to proceed with caution. Italian soccer player Daniele Rugani tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday. While the illness is not nearly as rampant in the U.S. as it is in Italy, any hypothetical involving an NBA player testing positive could have serious implications for the rest of the league.
Rudy Gobert had only missed two games prior to Wednesday night. The Frenchman is averaging 15.1 points, 13.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks as Utah's defensive anchor, and he should garner plenty of attention for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
That said, the stakes will become that much larger if Gobert is forced to miss the game. A state of emergency was declared in Salt Lake City (where the Jazz play) after the third case of coronavirus was found in Utah.
