Bill Kennedy had just finished up another NBA basketball game of running up and down the court calling fouls and turnovers.
Then everything changed.
Kennedy was part of the referee crew that worked the Detroit-Philadelphia game, which as of right now is the last NBA game played this 2019-20 season.
League commissioner Adam Silver suspended play that same night March 11 after Utah Jazz all-star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.
“At that time, we went back to the hotel at the airport Marriott and we saw the press release that Adam released,” said Kennedy, a Phoenix native and 22-year NBA referee veteran.