NBA star LeBron James would refuse to play if Coronavirus outbreak forces league behind closed doors
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James says he would refuse to play if NBA games are forced to be held behind closed doors because of the Coronavirus outbreak.
A host of sporting fixtures around the world have been postponed altogether since the outbreak began, while there are doubts over whether major events such as this summer’s European Championships and Olympic Games will go ahead as planned.
Forcing matches to be played without spectators is another measure that has been introduced by some governments to help tackle the spread of disease, including in Italy, where Serie A games will take place in empty stadiums until April 3.
No such action has so far been deemed necessary in the US, but the NBA has written to its teams encouraging them to prepare contingency plans for behind-closed-doors fixtures, a prospect James is not enthused by.
Before and after aerials of public spaces affected by the Coronavirus
"Play games without the fans? No, simple answer," James said. "I ain't playing if we haven't got the fans in the crowd, that's who I play for.
"I play for my team-mates, 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."
