OKLAHOMA CITY — Utah Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert has tested positive for coronavirus, sources told The Athletic on Wednesday night.

Gobert underwent precautionary testing on Wednesday and received a positive result, sources said.

Sources say Gobert has been around people who recently traveled from France, but there is no clear determination on how he contracted the virus. Sources also say Gobert is feeling good, strong and stable, and was even hoping to play on Wednesday night against Oklahoma City. Gobert had enough energy to be able to play but spent the evening away from the Jazz, whose game with the Thunder in Oklahoma City was suspended.

At approximately the same time the Jazz and Thunder would have ended their important matchup, Chesapeake Energy Arena workers haggled over an uneaten bag of popcorn.

The floor itself was empty, having long ago been cleared, the seats vacated by fans booing on their way out of a postponed game. And well after the postponement, not a single player or member of team personnel had come through bowels of the arena.

On Wednesday night, as first reported by The Athletic, Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus that was officially labeled a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday morning. In a subsequent short statement, the NBA itself suspended its season until further notice.

For the league, a virus they were trying to stay in front of has hit home in one of the more significant ways possible. Gobert is not only an NBA player. He’s an All-Star, one of the more visible players in the league. He’s a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. The native of France is an international star. He’s a beloved member of the Jazz fan base.

As a result, the league had no choice. By Wednesday night, the time of Gobert’s positive test, the Jazz had just finished a five-game road trip through the Eastern Conference.

They played against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night as well. His exposure to a number of different people has been vast.

Gobert, according to sources, felt strong enough to play on Wednesday night. But he and backup point guard Emmanuel Mudiay were held out of action, after coming down with symptoms by Wednesday morning.

In the interim, each member of the Jazz organization is being tested.

The two teams were set to tip off when the game was halted and officials conferred with the league. As players headed to the locker room, it seemed they knew they would be doing so for good. The hallways to the respective locker rooms were blocked off as well, as the teams tried to figure out what their next steps would be.

Gobert was asymptomatic up until Tuesday night. He was in contact with his teammates all the way up until Wednesday afternoon. According to the Jazz, Gobert tested negative for the flu on Wednesday morning. He also tested negative for strep throat and an upper respiratory infection. His symptoms then diminished over the course of the day. But, as a precautionary measure, the decision was made to test for the coronavirus.

The Jazz say a preliminary positive result came back in the moments before tipoff. The league office was immediately informed and the decision was made to postpone the game and halt the season.

“We are working closely with the CDC, Oklahoma and Utah state health officials and the NBA to determine how to best move forward as we gather more information,” the Jazz said in a statement.

Gobert is currently in the care of health officials in Oklahoma City.

(Photo: Chris Elise / NBAE via Getty Images)