By Darayus Sethna – Nordonia High School student
This past Wednesday, during a nationally televised game on ESPN between the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks, Commissioner Adam Silver and the National Basketball Association decided that the rest of this NBA season would be “suspended.” It was announced by ESPN Analysts Scott Van Pelt and Adrian Wojnarowski during the third quarter of the match in Dallas. Reasons for this decision are in large part to Utah Jazz Center, Rudy Gobert, testing positive for Coronavirus that same night.
Speaking on that same night, tensions aroused even more in Oklahoma City when the Utah Jazz and Thunder were forced to postpone their game. Both teams were then informed to be quarantined in the Chesapeake Energy Arena for multiple hours before being granted permission to leave the premises. The day after, Jazz Forward, Donovan Mitchell, was also tested positive for Coronavirus. The Cleveland Cavaliers themselves were one of five teams who were told to “self-quarantine” since they were once of the Jazz’s last five opponents (Played Utah at home on March 2nd, 2020).
It has been a frustrating and concerning last few days for NBA fans. Mavericks Owner, Mark Cuban, discussed his views on the suspension:
“I trust Adam [Silver]. You know what? It’s really not about basketball or money. Literally, if this thing is exploding to the point where all of a sudden players and others have had it, you think about your family. You want to make sure you’re doing this the right way.”
Although the season has been deemed suspended and no games will be played at their respective venues for the foreseeable future, the “right way” is still a major aspect to describe how the NBA and its players function. Cleveland’s own Kevin Love announced that he would donate $100,000 to employees of the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in assistance during the crisis. Love stated:
“The folks at the arena are like family to me and I am grateful. If you are anything like me, you may be justifiably stressed and worried about the impact coronavirus will have on all of us.”
Milwaukee Bucks Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Detroit Star Blake Griffin, and Rookie Prospect Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans also followed suit in their own communities in the same manner.
As of right now, no one specifically on the Cavaliers has experienced any symptoms of the Coronavirus. However, the organization posted a statement on their website on the suspension of the season. Here is one of the first segments:
“We are closely engaged with the league office, and our medical partners and experts as this unprecedented situation continues to evolve. We support the extraordinary measures being taken by the NBA. The health and safety of everyone that is part of the NBA community, including our fans, is always at the forefront and the highest priority. Following the direction from the NBA and our medical experts, we will continue to be closely connected to multiple health and safety experts and advisors as we navigate through this challenging and unique landscape.”
I mentioned this before, this is a challenging time– not just for NBA fans, but for all sports fans. But there is always hope. The fact that the season is “suspended,” and not “canceled,” still provides the general public with the sense that a champion will still be crowned later this year. Now what the process will be to get to that point is still in discussion. But we do know about the tremendous heights athletes such as Kevin Love and Zion Williamson are willing to go in order to ensure others that everyone is in this battle together; and a $100,000 donation is only the beginning for how society can continue to fight with this ongoing battle. In the words of Adam Silver himself:
“This remains a complicated and rapidly evolving situation that reminds us that we are all part of a broader society with a responsibility to look out for one another.”
Editor’s note:
Darayus Sethna is 17 years old and is a Junior at Nordonia High School. He is a major Cavs fan and enjoys watching the NBA. He is part of the Nordonia High School Digital Journalism and Sports Broadcasting Club and hopes to become an NBA color analyst one day. He regularly hosts a podcast called The Cleveland Sports Show.
The podcast is now postponed due to obvious reasons.