SAN ANTONIO — UPDATE: The NBA has mandated that players remain in their home market. They are telling teams to keep players home and cancel group workouts and practices, per multiple media reports.
The Spurs reportedly canceled their Thursday practice on Wednesday night once news broke that the NBA is suspending the season.
Original Story:
The San Antonio Spurs' most arduous season in recent memory has been suspended indefinitely due to coronavirus.
On Wednesday night, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Gobert was not with the team as they took the court in Oklahoma City to play the Thunder.
Before the game tipped, word came down about Gobert's positive test and officials abruptly canceled the game. The players for both teams were sent to the locker room for quarantine.
Many Spurs fans took to social media to joke that this news means San Antonio's playoff streak won't end this year after all.
The memes are good for a hearty chuckle, but the season has not been canceled, at least not yet.
The NBA said in a statement that they will "use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic."
Provided this season does resume, it will give some Spurs who are recovering from injuries time to lick their wounds (hopefully not literally). Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker IV, and Jakob Poeltl are important rotation pieces dealing with various ailments.
So what comes next? Well, we just don't know yet. This situation is unprecedented and extremely fluid.
Even before the announcement, the NBA and the Spurs made changes to interactions with fans and the media. The locker rooms across major sports leagues have been closed to the media, and players and coaches have been advised to avoid contact with fans.
Gregg Popovich heeded that advice on Wednesday night when he attended the fifth-annual Heroes at the Grill dinner, a fundraiser for Wish for Our Heroes.
In years past, he's been happy to mingle with guests at The Grill at Leon Springs, raising money for wounded veterans and their families, shaking hands, taking pictures, walking through the kitchen, and serving food.
On this night, however, he kept his distance and started his speech with a joke about how he probably shouldn't even be there. After thanking everyone there for coming and supporting a cause that is very important to him, he addressed the possibility of a hiatus.
"It's getting a little crazy," Popovich said, noting that the NCAA tournament would be played without fans.
"Just watch the... who was the team we beat last night?" Popovich asked with a grin. "It's been such a rarity I forget the wins. Just watch the Dallas game over and over if there's a hiatus, don't watch those other games."
What if I bought tickets for a future game?
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Spurs organization contacted fans via email to let them know about their options when it comes to tickets for games that haven't happened yet. According to officials, tickets that have already been bought to a postponed game will be honored for the as-yet-to-be-determined time and date when the matchup happens.
If the game isn't played or "played in an empty arena," fans will be able to get a refund or a credit for a future game.