NBA Suspends Current Season

The NBA suspended its 2019-20 season on Wednesday in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The league announced the move after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the virus, per The New York Times. The team declined to identify the player, although an individual familiar with the situation named Jazz center Rudy Gobert, per the report. 

“The N.B.A. will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic,” the league said in its statement.

The basketball organization was facing pressure to play games without thousands of fans in attendance as the coronavirus pandemic continued to worsen. On Wednesday, the city of San Francisco banned events of more than 1,000 people, which forced the San Francisco Warriors to make plans to play home games without an audience. 

The playoffs were set to begin on April 18.