Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Donovan Mitchell reflects on 2020 COVID-19 shutdown: 'It was like a scene out of a movie'

By Sam Nestler | Last updated 10/21/22

Former Utah Jazz forward Donovan Mitchell reflected on the day the 2019-20 NBA season was shut down: "It was like a scene out of a movie, I'll never forget that night," Mitchell said on "The Old Man and the Three" podcast.

The date was March 11, 2020. The World Health Organization had officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and city officials began banning gatherings all over the country. Just before tipoff, Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. The rest is history.

Donovan Mitchell discusses the night the NBA shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(via The Old Man and the Three) pic.twitter.com/nNC1DwZk3L
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After originally delaying the game, the NBA announced that it was shutting down until further notice for safety concerns. It would be 133 days without basketball from that point.

The league would not play its next game until July 22, when the NBA resumed play in a bubble, similar to what the NHL did soon after.

Eventually, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat and the Tampa Bay Lightning took down the Dallas Stars, ending the longest NBA (355 days) and NHL (362 days) seasons in history.

2020 will forever stand in sports history. Not only was it a massive gap without any game action, but it was also a huge hit to the revenue of the major leagues. The NBA revenue reportedly dropped by 8.3%, while the NHL salary cap has still not fully recovered.

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