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Breakdown: matchups to watch the NBA restart in Orlando
(4:33)
Rudy Gobert became the first known player to test positive for the coronavirus in March, forcing the NBA to a parenthesis of months that is scheduled to end in July. Part of the reason the NBA feels comfortable returning to action is because of the typically mild symptoms faced by younger, healthier people, as well as the generally short period in which the disease tends to last in the system. a person.
COVID-19 affects most patients in a matter of weeks. However, the long-term effects of the disease are not yet fully understood. Gobert is currently dealing with one of them. As he told the French sports media outlet L’equipe (according to the HoopsHype translation), he is not yet fully recovered from the virus despite being infected three months ago. His sense of smell has not fully returned.
“The taste is back, but the smell is not 100% yet. I can smell the smells, but not from afar. I spoke to specialists, who told me it could take up to a year,” said Gobert.
Fortunately, the sense of smell is not exactly necessary on the basketball court. Gobert has given no indication that he plans to skip the resumed season at Disney, nor is there any reason to believe that his compromised sense of smell could pose a risk to other players. Gobert and his jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell tested negative for the virus in late March.
But as the players weigh the pros and cons of taking the court in Orlando, Gobert’s situation may weigh heavily on their minds. Even if they are unlikely to experience serious symptoms given their health and age, players cannot be sure what the virus will do to them in the long run. None of us can be, and they would be completely justified in deciding not to take the risk.
