Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell tested positive for coronavirus on March 12, a day after his teammate, Rudy Gobert, tested positive and triggered the suspension of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Mitchell, a 23-year-old, still hasn’t experienced any symptoms from the virus. He went on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts on Monday morning confirmed he was recovering well.
“I’m fine,” Mitchell said. “Things are going well. Just in isolation. Got a unique setup. But yeah, no fever, no symptoms right now. I’m blessed to be able to be OK ... Right now the biggest thing is for me to stay in isolation and keep to myself.”
This should be a reminder to everyone to stay home. Just because you don’t feel sick, doesn’t mean you aren’t a carrier of the virus who can get others sick. Even someone as fit and healthy as Mitchell was infected by the coronavirus.
“I’m asymptomatic,” Michell said. “I don’t have any symptoms. I could walk down the street if it wasn’t public knowledge that I was sick, you wouldn’t know it. I think that’s the scariest part about this virus. You can seem fine, be fine, but you never know who you may be talking to, who they might be going home to.”
Mitchell was honest about his thoughts on Gobert
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jazz players said Gobert had been “careless in the locker room touching other players and their belongings.” When asked if he’s been in contact with his teammate, Mitchell was blunt.
“To be honest with you, Robin, it took a while to cool off. I read what he said and heard what he said. I’m glad he’s doing OK. I’m glad I’m doing well. I’m just really happy to be honest, Robin, that I hate to say that it’s two of us, but at least it wasn’t the whole party. At the end of the day, neither him or I have children at home. I know I have teammates and staff that have children at home. I’m glad we were able to contain it as much as possible.
Gobert has been named the NBA’s “Patient Zero” as the first player to test positive, though we can’t be sure he was the first to get it. Mitchell and Detroit Pistons guard Christian Wood have also tested positive, while hundreds of other players haven’t been tested. What Gobert did that others didn’t is make light of the virus by touching reporter’s mics during a period when media was obligated to stand six feet away from players.
Gobert has apologized, saying on Instagram, “The first and most important thing is I would like to publicly apologize to the people that I may have endangered. At the time, I had no idea I was even infected. I was careless and make no excuse. I hope my story serves as a warning and causes everyone to take this seriously.”
Please use Mitchell’s words as a warning
Quarantine. Stay inside. Mitchell didn’t know he was sick, and you might not know either. There are many more in Mitchell’s situation who aren’t celebrities who’ve been tested. On top of putting yourself at risk, you’d also be exposing others.
The virus won’t stop spreading unless we all commit to staying away from crowded, public spaces.
