Rudy Gobert: Sense of Smell May Take a Year to Return to Normal After COVID-19

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 in March, and one symptom has continued to linger: a diminished sense of smell.   

"The taste has returned, but the smell is still not 100 percent," he told French newspaper L'Equipe Wednesday (h/t ESPN). "I can smell smells, but not from afar. I spoke to specialists, who told me that it could take up to a year [to return to normal]."

Gobert said he isn't sure if he'll be 100 percent ready to play for the NBA's restart in late July at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. He noted that he still feels "strange things" in the wake of his coronavirus diagnosis, though he added he isn't sure if that is related to side effects from the illness or simply the lengthy layoff. 

He said he feels like he's in "good shape," though at points he would feel weird sensations like "ants in my toes." He also said the stress and fear that accompanied his diagnosis were more difficult to deal with than any physical symptoms he had. 

Gobert, 28, was averaging 15.1 points, 13.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks before the 2019-20 season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was selected for his first All-Star Game this year. 

He was the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus, and NBA games were immediately halted after his test results came back. He became a controversial figure due to a video showing him touching all the microphones during a press conference, and when fellow Jazz star Donovan Mitchell also tested positive, it created a rift—or at least a temporary rift—between the two players.

Gobert has said he regrets his cavalier attitude toward the coronavirus and publicly apologized.