NBA Veteran ‘Hurt’ By People Making Rudy Gobert As ‘Face Of Virus’ In The League

Almost two weeks removed from the suspension of the NBA’s remaining games and the fans are already finding ways to divert their attention. The league decided to suspend the ongoing season indefinitely after a player tested positive for coronavirus – Rudy Gobert.

The Utah Jazz’ center was listed as out due to an illness before the team hit the floor and face the Oklahoma City Thunder in Chesapeake Energy Arena before officials announced seconds before tip-off that the game needs to be canceled and both teams were advised to monitor themselves.

Since then, four more players were identified to be infected by COVID-19 and a bunch of others from different teams as they opted to protect the players’ and personnel's identity to the public. Some of those teams didn’t play Gobert and the Jazz as but still had players testing positive from the virus.

That is exactly what Gobert’s teammate from France men’s basketball team Evan Fournier is fuming about – because of people putting his fellow Frenchman to the center of the pandemic outbreak in the league.

Per EuroHoops, the Orlando Magic forward expressed his disgust about the people who are building the image of the reigning back-to-back defensive player of the year. “It hurt me. It became the face of the virus in the NBA. The behavior of people and journalists has been disgusting,” said the 27-year old Fournier said on a L’Equipe interview when the announcement of Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers were made that they have players and staff who tested positive to the virus.

“I don’t understand taking out the names of the sick. It looks like the transfer window when it’s the scoop race. It was a coronavirus free agency. It was unbearable,” added the eight-year NBA veteran.

“You can say a guy is sick without naming him. Today, Philadelphia and the Lakers have cases, and we don’t know who it is. It’s more respectful,” said Fournier about Gobert not getting the same treatment.

Asked about the video circulating on the internet were the 27-year old Jazz center touching microphones and recorders as a joke, Fournier didn’t mince his words. “It’s typically the thing where we’re going to blame the stranger. He’s European so he brought the virus back? When we don’t know.”

“Who says it was not Donovan Mitchell who infected him? The environment is unhealthy, not helped by what Donald Trump says. The joke with the microphones was a joke where no one had realized the magnitude of the thing.”

Gobert shared on his Twitter account his health status, revealing that he’s lost his sense of taste and smell and is wondering if he is alone in experiencing the issue.

“It’s easy to point the finger a posteriori. I could have made the same joke,” said Fournier.

Right now, it is confirmed that Fournier is not a fan of the conspiracies and the jokes built around his French brother.