In an effort to guard against the spread of coronavirus, the NBA has reportedly discussed moving some games to different arenas or cities. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the idea was brought up ahead of a conference call involving Commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday. If a team plays in a city that has been hit by coronavirus, it is reportedly a possibility that their home games could be played at the away team’s arena or a neutral site in a city that hasn’t yet suffered a coronavirus outbreak. The NBA has already taken one step to keep coronavirus in check by preventing media members from entering locker rooms on a temporary basis. Aside from moving games to other locations, Wojnarowski noted that the NBA has discussed playing games without fans or even suspending game operations for an undetermined amount of time, although the likelihood of the latter won’t be known until there is a better understanding of how widespread and dangerous coronavirus could become. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was initially resistant to the idea of playing without fans present, telling reporters Saturday: “Nah that’s impossible. I ain’t playing. If I ain’t got the fans in the crowd, that’s what 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 ain’t no fans there? I ain’t playing. So, they could do what they want to do.”Following Wednesday’s conference call, which will reportedly include at least one ownership representative from every NBA team, two calls are planned for Thursday, which will include team presidents and general managers.
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