James says won’t play in empty arenas as NBA mulls virus strategy

LOS ANGELES, California: Basketball superstar LeBron James said Friday he won’t play if his Los Angeles Lakers have to hold games behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The NBA has reportedly told teams to look into strategies on how to play without fans in the arena amid concerns over the spreading virus.

“Nah. It’s impossible,” James said after the Lakers’ 113-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

“If I show up to the arena and there ain’t no fans in the crowd, then I ain’t playing.”

The league sent a memo to each team on Friday asking them to develop contingency plans to combat the spread of the virus. One of the alternatives is playing games behind closed doors.