NBA Reportedly Mulling Playing Games Without Fans, Taking Hiatus

The NBA is reportedly weighing whether to move forward playing games without fans in its arenas or put games on an indefinite hiatus amid fears over the coronavirus pandemic. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe reported the NBA is expected to make a decision by Thursday, though there are conflicting reports about which way the league is leaning. Wojnarowski reported teams are leaning toward moving forward with games without fans, while Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated said there is a "growing" consensus that a hiatus would be the most responsible option.

Wojnarowski later added "several teams" were willing to go on a hiatus, though others preferred playing games without fans:

The Golden State Warriors are currently slated to host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in the first NBA game without fans in attendance. The city of San Francisco placed a ban on all events over 1,000 people Wednesday, forcing the Warriors to plan all games to have only essential personnel for the immediate future.

"I think everybody is just trying to soak it all in," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "This whole thing has happened pretty quickly and over the last couple weeks, just the severity of it, the enormity of it. So when we addressed our players today, this morning in the locker room, it was more everybody was just sort of trying to take it all in, trying to process it. There wasn't a whole lot of discussion; there were a few questions. But I think everybody involved is just trying to sort through this, and the players are no different than any of us.

"Everybody's lives will be affected by this, no matter what you do, who you are. Your daily life is going to be affected by this. For us, we're just—that just means we have to figure out what that means for us. Right now it means playing a game without fans tomorrow. We'll see what it means as far as the road."

The NCAA also announced Wednesday its men's and women's basketball tournaments will be played without fans. Individual conference tournaments are being decided on a case-by-case basis. 

Upon initially hearing about the NBA discussing a contingency plan to play in empty arenas, some players—including LeBron James—bristled at the idea. However, James said Tuesday that he would be "disappointed" for fans but understands that it's a safety concern.

"They say no one could actually come to the game if they decide to go to that point, so I would be disappointed in that," James said. "But at the same time, you got to listen to the people that's keeping a track on what's going on. If they feel like it's best for the safety of the players, the safety of the franchise, the safety of the league to mandate that, then we all listen to it."

Twenty-four states have declared a state of emergency because of the coronavirus, which has reached over 1,000 cases in the United States. The World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic Wednesday.