Lakers star LeBron James rejects idea of playing without fans over coronavirus fears
NBA officials are warning teams to be prepared to play games without fans due to the coronavirus outbreak, but one of the league’s biggest stars says he has no desire to play in empty arenas.
The NBA reportedly distributed a memo to teams Friday telling them to prepare for the possibility of playing games without fans or media to prevent the spread of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. The memo outlines potential steps teams might have to take “if it were to become necessary to play a game with only essential staff present,” according to The Athletic.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James rejected that idea Friday night after leading his team to a 113-103 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a marquee regular-season matchup.
“We play games without the fans? Nah, that’s impossible,” James said, according to The Associated Press. “I ain’t playing if I ain’t got the fans in the crowd. That’s who I play for. I play for my teammates and I play for the fans. That’s what it’s all about. So, if I show up to an arena and there ain’t no fans in there, I ain’t playing. They can do what they want to do.”
In an earlier memo to teams, NBA Director of Sports Medicine John DiFiori and NBA Players Association Chief Medical Officer Joe Rogowski provided a number of recommendations. They advised players to offer fist bumps instead of high-fives and avoid taking items from autograph seekers, including markers, balls and jerseys.
Kings center Richaun Holmes said health and safety is most important, but players naturally gravitate toward their fans.
“It’s a scary situation, so you definitely want to protect yourself at all times,” Holmes said. “Health definitely does come first, but you always want to show love to the fans who are showing love to us, so we’ll figure it out.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 10:57 AM.
