Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, whose positive COVID-19 test prompted the NBA to shut down its season, says that the coronavirus has caused him to lose his sense of smell.
The Frenchman, whose defensive talents have earned him the nickname “Stifle Tower,” tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11, the result bringing the NBA season to an abrupt halt.
In social media posts since then, the 27-year-old had said he was feeling better, but on Sunday he tweeted that he was experiencing one of the lesser-known symptoms of the illness.
Photo: Russell Isabella-USA Today
“Just to give you guys an update, loss of smell and taste is definitely one of the symptoms, haven’t been able to smell anything for the last 4 days,” Gobert wrote on Twitter. “Anyone experiencing the same thing?”
More than a dozen NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19.
Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell was the second player diagnosed and the total includes four players from the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets players testing positive included superstar Kevin Durant, who has been sidelined all season recovering from injury.
Days before his positive test, Gobert had shrugged off safety measures aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus, pointedly touching every microphone and voice recorder on a table in front of him at a media event.
The cavalier stunt took a serious turn after it emerged he had tested positive.
Gobert apologized for his actions and said that he wished he had “taken this thing more seriously.”
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