"I will take to try and make a positive difference and educate others"
Sunday 15 March 2020 10:34, UK
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has pledged to donate a total of $500,000 for arena employees in Utah and Oklahoma City, and to help with the healthcare in his home country of France.
Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus, prompting the league to suspend its regular season indefinitely.
He has since apologised for acting carelessly before learning of the diagnosis.
"I know there are countless ways that people have been impacted," the 27-year-old said, according to a statement from his team.
"These donations are a small token that reflect my appreciation and support for all those impacted and are the first of many steps I will take to try and make a positive difference, while continuing to learn more about COVID-19 and educate others."
Gobert's donation will provide $200,000 in aid to part-time employees at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City who are not able to work due to the postponement of NBA games.
He will also pledge $100,000 each to assist families affected by the pandemic in Utah and Oklahoma City plus €100,000 for his native France.
On Monday Gobert had joked about the NBA's policy to keep media members at a safe distance from players in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
He touched all the microphones and other recording equipment at the press table after concluding interviews with the media in a room at the Jazz's press facility.
After Jazz team-mate Donovan Mitchell confirmed on Thursday over social media that he tested positive for coronavirus, Gobert issued an apology on Instagram.
"I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of concern and support over the last 24 hours. I have gone through so many emotions since learning of my diagnosis ... mostly fear, anxiety, and embarrassment," Gobert wrote.
"The first and most important thing is I would like to publicly apologise 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.
"I will do whatever I can to support using my experience as a way to educate others and prevent the spread of this virus.
"I am under great care and will fully recover. Thank you again for all your support. I encourage everyone to take all of the steps to stay safe and healthy. Love."
On Saturday night, it was reported by multiple outlets that Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood had tested positive for coronavirus.
The Pistons confirmed a player on their team had tested positive, but they didn't release the identity. The team said the player had been in self-isolation since Wednesday night.
"A preliminary positive result came back on March 14," the team said in a statement. "The health and safety of our players, our organization, those throughout our league, and all those potentially impacted by this situation is paramount.
"We are working closely with team medical staff, state and local government and public health officials and the NBA on reporting. The individual will remain in isolation and under the care of team medical staff."
Wood's agent, Adam Pensack, said the following to the Detroit News on Saturday night about Wood: "He feels 100 per cent fine."
He went up against the Jazz and Gobert on March 7 in Detroit, and the two got mixed up in an incident that resulted in double technical fouls.
