It seemed like just yesterday when the 2019-20 NBA season came to a screeching halt. A March 11 matchup between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder was one of the first games to be stopped due to coronavirus, and the underlying reason: Rudy Gobert testing positive for COVID-19.
Immediately following Gobert's positive test going public, a then-recent press conference where the French center touched the media's assembled microphones came to the front of the collective minds of the NBA world. Soon afterward the league canceled the season.
In an interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters, Gobert sat down and reflected on that moment that shook the NBA universe. When asked about the mic touching incident, Gobert responded with the following:
That it came from a good intention [from touching the mics]. It was the first day that we found out that the media was not going to be able to interview us, right next to us, and, you know, we obviously didn't know as much as we know now, and I only did that to try to liven the mood a little bit. It was, of course, if I could go back in time, I wouldn't do it.
Gobert seemingly learned much from the situation after testing positive for COVID-19, producing a since-resolved hostility with Jazz co-star Donovan Mitchell and the NBA's resumed season in the Orlando bubble over the summer.
Though an act that was seen as insensitive at first, the Jazz center's regret was made known and emphasized the need for individuals to educate themselves about coronavirus that has impacted the world.
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