Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was the first NBA player to suffer the ramifications of contracting the novel coronavirus, as his positive test sent the 2019-20 season into a long hiatus during this global pandemic.
The Jazz center revealed just how COVID-19 still affects him, as it could take him up to a full year to regain his sense of smell:
Translation via HoopsHype:
“The taste has returned, but the smell is still not 100%,” Gobert admitted in a column for L'Equipe. “I can smell the smells, but not from afar. I spoke to specialists, who told me that it could take up to a year.”
Regaining the full extent of his senses isn't the only part of the aftermath, as Gobert soon became the poster athlete for coronavirus early on, receiving the blame for his co-star Donovan Mitchell testing positive the following day.
Gobert soon became the pariah who caused the season to reach a halt, even if all the other sports would follow in the coming days:
“The NBA was waiting for a first case to stop the championship, it fell on me!” he told Fabrice Auclert of Basket USA. “I became the image of the coronavirus for the Americans, the domino that triggered the end of the season, but it was not me who brought the virus to the United States.”
Even as the Jazz near a truncated return to the 2019-20 season, rumors of a tiff between Gobert and Mitchell have swarmed the league.
Gobert could sign an extension this offseason or test free agency after next season — a move that could determine how long he stays in Salt Lake City.
Follow Us
Subscribe