LeBron James on playing NBA games behind closed doors: 'There's no joy'
MANILA, Philippines — The sports world is feeling the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Major sporting events from all over the globe, most recently the Olympics, have suffered either postponements or outright cancelations.
Premier basketball league NBA was no different.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver postponed the season indefinitely following the positive result of Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert.
Since then, more players had also tested positive for the virus -- including two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant and Gobert's teammate Donovan Mitchell.
The NBA has been mulling over how to remedy the season stoppage, with playing behind closed-doors one of the more viable options.
But three-time NBA champion LeBron James said he couldn't imagine playing without any fans in the stadium.
In an interview on the Road Trippin podcast, James aired his sentiments on the possibility of closed-door games.
"There's no excitement. There's no crying. There's no joy. There's no back-and-forth," James said.
"I just don't know how we can imagine a sporting event without fans," he added.
Prior to the season suspension, James also said he wasn't going to play in games where fans were absent.
The Lakers star said that he was playing for the fans and would therefore find no purpose if there was no audience in the arena.
However, with the number of coronavirus cases rising in the US, the NBA may have no other choice but to either play in empty arenas or outright cancel the season.
Football tournaments like the Premier League gave closed-door games a test run before eventually postponing the season due to the pandemic.
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