Utah Jazz player, Rudy Gobert wants all the smoke. The star was playing Call of Duty on the online gaming site, Twitch yesterday when a fellow player commented, “Thanks for starting the coronavirus in the NBA dumba-s.”
Gobert responded to the user listed as @gbgator, saying, “Hey, gabo, gato, gator — go to school, p***y!”
READ MORE: Rudy Gobert apologizes for being ‘careless’ before coronavirus diagnosis
It was Gobert’s diagnosis that ultimately led to the suspension of the 2019-2020 NBA season. The player was the first to contract the virus but was not the last as baller after baller tested positive for the respiratory disease.
NBA notables like Utah Jazz Donovan Mitchell, Boston Celtics star Marcus Smart, and Brooklyn Nets Kevin Durant all contracted the coronavirus.
Durant actually was one of another four Brooklyn Nets players who also tested positive. as well as at least another seven players.
Gobert, a Center for the Jazz, was perceived as having a careless attitude toward the virus. After a press interview when asked about the virus near the beginning of the US pandemic, Gobert infamously touched the microphone of every reporter in the press room.
Gobert’s diagnosis and his teammate Mitchell’s subsequent diagnosis put intense strain on the player’s relationship. Jazz Executive VP Dennis Lindsey recently told ESPN that Gobert and Mitchell are “ready to put this behind them, move forward, act professionally.”
The NBA was one of the first sports leagues to suspend play at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the players union, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Michele Roberts head of the Union will host a conference call tomorrow about the possible return of the season.
READ MORE: Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert donates $500K toward COVID-19 pandemic
Last Friday was the first day that teams have allowed players to open their practice facilities for limited workouts utilizing strict safety protocols.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told the “77 Minutes in Heaven,” podcast that “Even though we can try and take all different kinds of precautions, it’s just not worth it — particularly when our guys are staying in shape and they’re going outside and shooting on outdoor hoops and working out in various ways,” Cuban said, “I just don’t think the risk is worth the reward.”