The NBA and NBPA held a meeting in which they discussed how to combat the spread of coronavirus without an outright cancellation of games or even the remainder of the season.
Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN report that both sides are intent on resuming play, but also acknowledged the legitimate possibility of playing games without plans for an extended period of time:
Story filed to ESPN with @ZachLowe_NBA: In a meeting with the NBPA on the coronavirus crisis today, NBA and union discussed ways to continue the season without the cancellation or loss of games — while conceding sport's trending toward period of time without fans in attendance.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2020
The NBA's exploring ways to allow the league to continue playing and televising games during the coronavirus crisis, even with it increasingly likely that'll be done in empty arenas. The Board of Governors/owners with NBA was set for 4:30 PM ET. https://t.co/0tRBGXtIil
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2020
This is not much of a surprise. The Golden State Warriors will host the Brooklyn Nets in an empty arena on Thursday night, with San Francisco expressing concerns over the safety of fans and team personnel.
Although the NBA as a whole has yet to give a formal statement on the resumption of games without fans, it seems likely that possibility will become a reality very shortly.
The coronavirus has already disrupted sporting events around the glob, including in the United States.
Directors at the Ivy League elected to cancel the conference tournament outright. On Wednesday afternoon, the Governor of Ohio said first- and second-round games held at both Dayton Arena and Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will be played without fans (via ESPN):
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he will be issuing an order regarding “mass gatherings” due to the coronavirus that will affect NCAA tournament games in Cleveland and Dayton.
DeWine says the order will include banning spectators from games and that he'll be asking people to make “informed decisions.” During a news conference Wednesday, DeWine said he will issue an order in the next 24 to 36 hours.
Dayton will host the NCAA's First Four next week at Dayton Arena, and first- and second-round games will be held in Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The NBA and the union are doing all they can to ensure the season will continue.
But NBA fans might have to get used to the idea of only being able to watch their favorite team(s) from a television screen.
Follow Us
Subscribe