News and Commentary

WATCH: NBA Players Walk Off Court Before Tipoff After Medical Staff Talk To Refs

   DailyWire.com
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 21: General view as players and coaches practice on the court before Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 21, 2013 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s home game on Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz was canceled moments before tipoff after medical staff apparently ran onto the court and spoke with officials.

“A few minutes prior to tip-off, a Thunder medical staffer met with officials and after a brief consultation, both teams made their way back to their locker rooms,” CBS Sports reported. “The referees then got on the headset with the league, and after a brief discussion, they too left the court. After about a 30-minute delay, the Thunder PA announcer told fans that the game was postponed.”

“Prior to the game on Wednesday, the team announced that Gobert and Emmanuel Mudiay were both out for the game due to an illness,” CBS Sports added. “It’s obviously too early to speculate if they actually have the coronavirus, but this scenario continues to look more and more serious. ”

WATCH:

The NBA later announced that it was suspending game play for the rest of the season after a player tested positive for the coronavirus, which originated in China.

“The NBA announced that a player on the Utah Jazz has preliminary tested positive for COVID-19,” the NBA said in a statement. “The test result was reported shortly prior to the tip-off of tonight’s game between the Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. At that time, tonight’s game was canceled. The affected player was not in the arena.”

“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the statement continued. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”

The announcement from the NBA comes as President Donald Trump addressed the nation tonight and announced new measures to protect the public from the spread of the virus.

“After consulting with our top government health professionals, I have decided to take several strong but necessary actions to protect the health and well-being of all Americans,” Trump said. “To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect Friday at mid-night.”

“To ensure that working Americans impacted by the virus can stay home without fear of financial hardship, I will soon be taking emergency action, which is unprecedented, to provide financial relief. This will be targeted for workers who are ill, quarantined, or caring for others due to coronavirus,” Trump continued. “I will be asking Congress to take legislative action to extend this relief.”

“To provide extra support for American workers, families, and businesses, tonight I am announcing the following additional actions: I am instructing the Small Business Administration to exercise available authority to provide capital and liquidity to firms affected by the coronavirus,” Trump continued. “Effective immediately, the SBA will begin providing economic loans in affected states and territories. These low-interest loans will help small businesses overcome temporary economic disruptions caused by the virus. To this end, I am asking Congress to increase funding for this program by an additional $50 billion.”

“Using emergency authority, I will be instructing the Treasury Department to defer tax payments, without interest or penalties, for certain individuals and businesses negatively impacted. This action will provide more than $200 billion of additional liquidity to the economy,” Trump added. “Finally, I am calling on Congress to provide Americans with immediate payroll tax relief. Hopefully they will consider this very strongly.”

This is a breaking news story, refresh the page for updates.

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  WATCH: NBA Players Walk Off Court Before Tipoff After Medical Staff Talk To Refs