Why suspending the NBA season was a glorious act of patriotism | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The NBA has led by example and put public health above self-interest, which is more than the Trump administration can say

Those too busy emptying the Costco shelves of hand sanitizer and toilet paper might have missed the news that the National Basketball Association has suspended the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Other professional and college sports have since also suspended, cancelled or otherwise modified how sports will be played and watched. It truly would be March Madness to do anything else. While some rabid fans and the usual ill-informed science-deniers may complain, most others recognize what a bold and necessary move it was to protect the players, the fans and the country.

Part of the suspension is because Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert reportedly tested positive for Covid-19, putting other players, coaches, referees and the staff of every team he's come in contact with at risk. Gobert is the poster boy for those who, like President Trump, have tried to ignore or downplay the virus's dire impact. In fact, at a press conference a few days before he was diagnosed, Gobert made a point of playfully touching all the microphones to make fun of the public's concern about the spread of the virus. I'm sure those who used the microphones after him aren't laughing. Also not laughing is Utah Jazz player Donovan Mitchell who tested positive for Covid-19 the day after Gobert. Many of teams that came in contact with Gobert, Mitchell and the rest of the Jazz have put themselves in self-isolation while awaiting test results.