Rudy Gobert Claims He Still Hasn't Fully Recovered From COVID-19

It's been almost four months since Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert contracted COVID-19, leading to the suspension of the NBA season, and the 7-1 Jazz big man is still feeling the sting of this infection.

In an interview with French sports outlet L'Equipe, Gobert confirmed that he is still suffering from some COVID-19 symptoms.

“The taste has returned, but the smell is still not 100 percent," Gobert said. "I can smell the smells, but not from afar. I spoke to specialists, who told me that it could take up to a year.”

While the more publicized, and obviously more deadly, symptoms of COVID-19 involve elevated body temperature, trouble breathing, and blood thickening, minor symptoms can include a loss of smell and taste. The fact that Gobert is feeling healthy but still has lingering symptoms months later, should set off some alarms around the NBA, as the Jazz are one of the 22 teams who will return to play in Orlando.

Gobert was, at one point, mocked mercilessly for trivializing the spread of the virus before contracting it himself. He has spent the last few months apologizing and serving as a cautionary tale for what can and will happen if the threat of this pandemic is downplayed.