The NBA suspended the Kings' game with the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center "out of an abundance of caution."
A Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on Wednesday, prompting the NBA to suspend its season following the conclusion of the night's games. That player reportedly was center Rudy Gobert. Courtney Kirkland officiated Utah's game against the Toronto Raptors on Monday, and was set to work Wednesday's Kings-Pelicans game.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
NBC Sports California's James Ham reported on the telecast he was in the Pelicans' tunnel and saw New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry tell officials his team would not play Wednesday. Gentry and the Pelicans then returned to the team hotel.
The Pelicans -- with a few exceptions -- didn't take the court before the game, while the Kings were directed to leave the court prior to the game's postponement.
Golden 1 Center will still hold NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament games on March 20 and 22, but the tournament will not be open to the general public.
The World Health Organization officially labeled COVID-19 a global pandemic earlier Wednesday. Over 1,200 people in the United States have tested positive and 37 people have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state officials and NBC News.