‘I ain’t playing’: LeBron James weighs in on games in EMPTY ARENAS due to virus crisis – the NBA won’t like his reply
Asked about the NBA’s suggestion that, to cope with the expanding Covid-19 outbreak, players perform in front of only essential staff at games, LeBron James has come up with a brutally honest response.
James was asked about how he would feel scoring without screaming fans to cheer him on, after a memo from the NBA (about basketball teams possibly being restricted to playing games in front of essential staff only) was revealed through The Athletic.
Sources: The NBA has sent a memo to its franchises explaining that, due to coronavirus outbreak, teams should be preparing to play games without fans in attendance and identifying “essential staff” present for these games -- should it be necessary.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 7, 2020
“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,” the LA Lakers star said.
LeBron James addresses the #NBA issuing a memo on the possibility of playing games without fans in the arena. “Play games without the fans? No, that’s impossible...I ain’t playing.” pic.twitter.com/CRVl9XVbMl
— Lauren A. Jones (@LoJoMedia) March 7, 2020
James not playing could be a reality for the NBA as concerns over coronavirus escalate. The league sent out a memo on Friday asking teams to be prepared “for the possibility of implementing temperature checks on players, team staff, referees, and anyone else who is essential to conducting such a game in the team’s arena.”
The memo also contained recommendations for players to avoid becoming infected with coronavirus, which included not taking items from fans and autograph-seekers.
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