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Commissioner Adam Silver is expected to announce the remainder of NBA games will be played behind closed doors in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Wojnarowski reports that the Board of Governors came to a consensus on Wednesday in which it was determined games would be played without fans. Commissioner Silver is expected to make the announcement on Thursday:
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
The league held conference calls with owners, general managers and team doctors on Wednesday. Representatives also met with members of the NBPA to discuss next steps. It seems most — if not all — of the sides agree the safety of fans, players and team personnel is the top priority.
It should not come as much of a surprise the NBA came to this conclusion. The NCAA and President Mark Emmert announced on Wednesday that both the men's and women's basketball tournaments would be played behind closed doors, and multiple major conferences (including the Big Ten) have decided to prohibit fan attendance. Moreover, health officials have suggested the NBA adopt such a strategy.
There is no way to predict how this decision will impact the business of the NBA. What is clear is there will be a loss in revenue. Aside from ticket sales, there is the possibility teams around the league will have to issue refunds. Moreover, the economic fallout might impact the amount of salary cap available next season.
Still, it is worth noting the NBA is not alone in taking precautions. The NHL and MLB have also been discussing next steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
However, basketball fans will surely be glued to television sets in the next couple months as games are contested behind closed doors.
