SPORTS HISTORY IN BLACK: Gobert leads the Utah Jazz to victory in first post-COVID NBA game

The 2019-2020 NBA season was a wild ride.

It began with the Lakers looking tough in the NBA’s Western Conference. And then they slid and the pack caught up. From there, COVID cropped up, and then there was the infamous press conference by then-Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. He touched everything, sending COVID running through pro-basketball ranks.

Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert poses for a photograph during media day at the Utah Jazz practice facility Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo credit: Rick Bowmer, The Associated Press
Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert poses for a photograph during media day at the Utah Jazz practice facility Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo credit: Rick Bowmer, The Associated Press

The league put the season on hold. But as time went on, the NBA began to work out a plan to get back on the court. And eventually the teams headed to the playoffs in Orlando, Florida.

And in the first game on July 30, 2020, Gobert would sink two free throws with 6.9 seconds to help lead the Jazz to a 106-104 win in the first game back in the NBA since COVID emerged.

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