LeBron James has rowed back on comments in which he said he wouldn’t play basketball in empty arenas.
With the impact of the coronavirus outbreak beginning to be felt in the US, there has been speculation NBA games could be closed to the public. At the weekend James, the league’s biggest star, said such a situation would be “impossible”.
“We play games without the fans? Nah, that’s impossible,” James told reporters on Saturday. “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.”
On Tuesday, with coronavirus cases – and deaths – in the US on the rise, the 16-time All-Star said his views have changed. “[The NBA is] saying no one can actually come to the game, if they’ve decided to go to that point – so I’d be disappointed in that,” he said. “But at the same time, you gotta listen to the people that’s keeping track of what’s going on. And if they feel like what’s best for the safety of the players, safety of the franchise, safety of the league to mandate that, then we all listen to it.”
Earlier this week the NBA, along with the NHL, MLS and MLB, banned all non-essential personnel from team locker-rooms. There are no immediate plans to ban fans from attending games but teams have been told to prepare for such an eventuality.
On Friday, a Division III men’s basketball NCAA tournament game between Yeshiva University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute was played in a Baltimore arena occupied only by players, referees, employees and media members in what was believed to be the first US sports event held without fans because of Covid-19.
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