Gobert says he and Mitchell are talking

SALT LAKE CITY • Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert has played down a recent report that said the feud between him and teammate Donovan Mitchell was not "salvageable".

"It's true that we didn't speak for a while after this, but we spoke a few days ago," the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star said on Sunday night on Instagram Live. "We're both ready to go out there and try to win a championship for this team."

He was the first professional athlete in the United States to test positive for the coronavirus, forcing commissioner Adam Silver to suspend the NBA season on March 11. The following day, news broke that Mitchell had also tested positive.

Since his illness, Gobert has admitted that he had not taken the threat of the virus seriously enough. He was criticised for touching media members' electronic gadgets in a joking manner and making fun of the social distancing rules between the media and players earlier.

During a video call with Good Morning America on March 16, Mitchell revealed that he was not happy about Gobert's role in the entire episode. And sources told The Athletic last week that the guard remains reluctant to patch things up with his fellow All-Star Gobert.

"It doesn't appear salvageable," one source with knowledge of the situation said.

It is understood that both players have since recovered from the disease.

On Sunday, Gobert said: "You know, everyone has got different relationships - it's never perfect. People that are married, it's never perfect. So, you know, me and my teammates, it's far from perfect. But at the end of the day, we both want the same thing - and it's winning. We're both grown men, and we both are going to do what it takes to win."

The Jazz (41-23) were fourth in the Western Conference when the campaign was suspended. They are on course to reach the play-offs for the fourth straight season.

Jazz swingman Joe Ingles told The Athletic: "I'm confident our team is going to be totally fine... I have no doubt when we go back to training, or when our season starts again, our team is going to be what we have been and what we are."

REUTERS