Miami Heat team president Pat Riley doubts the NBA will be playing games without fans amid the coronavirus outbreak.
While the NBA exec isn't completely ruling out the possibility of playing behind closed doors, Riley opts to wait for the league's announcement. He instead highlights that they will be playing games with “tremendous amount of caution and prevention to make sure everybody is safe.”
“Until the league says something else, we are business as usual, with a tremendous amount of caution and prevention to make sure everybody is safe,” Riley said at the event that raised resources for the Miami Heat Charitable Fund, via South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“It would be like a summer-league game. But until the league says something or something else happens, I doubt that that's going to happen. But you just have to be prepared.”
The longtime NBA figure also made a point to mention that this is a national matter — not just a Miami matter — while the potential preparations with the league remain ongoing.
“We've had enough discussions about what I think is concerning everybody not only in Florida, but all over the world,” Riley added. “But everything we have done here to take prevention and to be cautious with abundance, we've done that. But there's a lot of people that understand that you got to get on with your life.”
The Heat are currently in the midst of what could become a memorable season in Miami, though the health and safety of both the players and fans will surely come first.
It is worth noting that the NBA has recently announced that locker rooms are now closed from the media, with only players and essential team personnel allowed inside. More actions are expected to be made by the league with regards to the prevention of the spread of the virus, and Pat Riley and the Heat are expected to also apply preventive measures.
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