Utah Jazz teammates Rudy Gobert (left) and Donovan Mitchell are not on speaking terms after each man tested positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19).
It took Mitchell “a while to cool off” after he tested positive on Thursday, March 12. Gobert, 27, announced he tested positive on Wednesday, March 11.
Mitchell, 23, suspects Gobert gave him the virus through his “careless” behavior in the days leading up to their positive tests.
Gobert playfully touched every reporters’ microphone in the press room, days before testing positive for the virus.
Both men were unusually close before their falling out. They sat next to each other on the team plane and buses and their lockers were next to each other in Utah’s Vivint Arena.
Gobert apologized for his carelessness in a video statement last week, but Mitchell is not in a forgiving mood.
In a remote video interview with Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts, Mitchell implied he and Gobert haven’t spoken.
“I read what he said, heard what he said,” Mitchell told Roberts. “Glad he’s doing okay, glad I’m doing well. I’m just really happy that it was only two of us. It wasn’t the rest of the team. Neither him or I have children at home. I know some teammates who have children at home, some staff who have children at home. I’m glad we were able to contain it as much as possible.”
“I’m fine. Things are going well, just in isolation,” said Mitchell. No fever, no symptoms. Blessed to be okay,” Mitchell said. “If you were to tell me you have to play in a seven-game series tomorrow, I’m ready to lace ’em up.”
Mitchell said young people should know that a lack of symptoms doesn’t mean they can’t be carriers of the virus.
“You may seem fine, be fine, you never know who you may be talking to who you might be going home to.”
Gobert’s positive test prompted the NBA to cancel the rest of the season. The NBA was the first sports league to shut down in response to a virus that causes mild flu-like symptoms in most healthy adults.
