A lot has changed in NBA locker rooms over the past few days as the league implemented various strategies to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but things may not seem as different to Mavs guard Delon Wright—at least in terms of his interaction with the media.
When asked about his thoughts on reporters being temporarily banned from locker rooms by Dwain Price of Mavs.com, the Dallas Mavericks backup playmaker joked “Y’all don’t talk to me anyway.”
A light-hearted moment happened when I asked #Mavs G Delon Wright if he's upset reporters will no longer be in the locker room. Wright said: "Ya'll don't talk to me anyway." @dallasmavs
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) March 11, 2020
On Monday, five major American pro sports leagues — the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, and MLS — released a joint statement announcing that “all team locker rooms and clubhouses will be open only to players and essential employees of teams and team facilities until further notice.” Moreover, it also said that media access will be maintained in designated locations outside of the locker room.
The NBA took another (expected) step on Wednesday, moving to play out the rest of the regular season without fans in attendance, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
New story filed to ESPN:
The NBA’s Board of Governors shared a consensus on Wednesday to continue the season playing games without fans in arenas amid the coronavirus crisis, and Commissioner Adam Silver is expected to move in that direction with a decision on Thursday.— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2020
Delon Wright also shared his memory of playing a high school game without fans in attendance.
“We had a fight at the game. They cleared out (the gym) and it was like a practice game,” the Mavs two-guard said.
Wright is averaging 7.3 points in 21.3 minutes per game for the Mavs, who entered Wednesday in the Western Conference’s no.7 seed at 39-27 but losers of two straight. After Wednesday’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets (43-21), Dallas will host the Phoenix Suns (26-39) on Saturday —presumably in front of an empty American Airlines Center.