Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player to be diagnosed with novel coronavirus, said he wished he had taken the virus “more seriously.”
The Utah Jazz All-Star center provided fans with a health update on the NBA Twitter account Sunday and said he’s been feeling a “little better every single day.”
He reminded people to keep washing their hands, stop touching their faces and avoid unnecessary contact with others.
“I wish I would have taken this thing more seriously and I hope everyone else will do so because we can do it together,” Gobert said.
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Gobert donated more than $500,000 to assist people affected by the virus and related closures.
He is giving $200,000 to part-time employees of the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City whose jobs were affected by the NBA’s decision to suspend its season.
Another $100,000 each is being donated to support coronavirus-related social services in Utah and Oklahoma City and €100,000 (about $111,000) to his home country France, the Utah Jazz announced on Saturday.
Gobert was recently criticized for a prank he pulled on members of the media that could have put them at risk of contracting the illness.
As Gobert was leaving a media event on March 9, before he was diagnosed with coronavirus, he touched every microphone and recorder in front of him in jest.
After his diagnosis, Gobert issued a public apology on Instagram.
