LeBron James Says He Won’t Play If Fans Can’t Attend Basketball Games Due To Coronavirus
On Friday, the NBA sent a memo to all 30 teams about the need to prepare for possibly playing games behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak. Staging games without fans is a step that sports leagues around the world have already taken in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. So far, it has now infected more than 93,000 people across 76 countries, killing 16.
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Now, although the novel coronavirus continues to spread, some players are not liking the idea of holding sporting events without spectators. NBA player LeBron James spoke to reporters on Friday at Staples Center where he said, “Nah, it’s impossible” to play without their fans.
He went on to say,
“I ain’t playing,” James said of any potential NBA game without fans. “I ain’t got the fans in the crowd. That’s who I play for. I play for my teammates. I play for the fans. That’s what it’s all about. If I show up to an arena and there are no fans in there, I ain’t playing. They can do what they want to do.”
LeBron James on possibility of NBA playing games behind closed doors because of coronavirus. LeBron: “I ain’t playing” if there are no fans pic.twitter.com/kpHg6bsFYO
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) March 7, 2020
President Donald Trump signed a spending bill to combat the spread of the new coronavirus. He pumped billions of dollars; $8.3 billion to be exact, into prevention efforts and research in hopes of quickly producing a vaccine for the deadly disease.
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