For much of the nation, the coronavirus pandemic started to feel so much more real on March 11, 2020.
That night in Oklahoma City, the game between the Jazz and the Thunder was canceled after former Utah big man Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. It was a shocking, sobering realization that a seismic shift was about to happen to the world.
Following this monumental moment, players on the Jazz were sent into a frenzy as they had to react to this news. These were obviously unprecedented times, and no one knew what to do.
During a recent interview with JJ Redick, former Jazz star Donovan Mitchell recalled the life-changing experience. He said he and his teammates stayed in the visiting locker room for nine hours after the game was canceled.
Some pretty crazy details from the night the NBA shutdown in March 2020. @spidadmitchell @CP3 pic.twitter.com/qvHzIbWqVi
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) October 20, 2022
Mitchell revealed that Chris Paul, who played for Oklahoma City at the time, helped the Jazz stay calm during this traumatic event:
“I wouldn’t say it was panic in the locker room. It was just like, what can we do? We’re just here. And, you know, CP … thank God. Shout out to CP. He sent 15 bottles of wine that night. So we got food and wine … We got drunk, I’m not gonna lie to you. We got drunk because we’re just like so there’s definitely no game … We’re trying to drink to not be scared.”
If that immediate instinct to booze feels relatable, you’re probably not alone. Several studies showed that people in the United States were buying more alcohol and drinking more frequently during the pandemic than they were beforehand, per USA TODAY.
Once they were finally able to leave, Mitchell explained that a man in a full hazmat suit drove them to a nearby hotel in Oklahoma City.
After they arrived at the hotel, which was emptied out, there were cops there and the travel party was told they could not get food. So, said Mitchell, they just kept drinking:
“Just sitting on a curb, drinking Bud Lights, just chatting … This is the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced … It was just crazy, man. It was like just a scene out of a movie. I’ll never forget that night.”
Redick playfully asked Mitchell who was more drunk between Joe Ingles and Georges Niang. According to Mitchell, they were both “up there” and so was Jordan Clarkson.
This was a terrifying night, and it was fascinating to learn many new details about what happened to those who were most intimately involved.
