The NBA Reportedly Warned Teams To Prepare For Possibly Playing Games Without Fans Due To Coronavirus

TSR Sports: While it seems officials are still determining what we’re actually dealing with as the coronavirus spreads, big venues appear to be exercising an abundance of caution. The NBA reportedly sent out a memo to its teams warning them to prepare for possibly playing games in empty arenas as the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, CBS Sports reports. 

At this point, nothing is set in stone but if things get real, teams will need to be prepared to implement strategies like this.

Earlier this week, a separate memo was issued to teams with suggested measures for avoiding the virus. Among other steps, the league has suggested players fist-bump instead of high-five. Officials also suggest avoiding taking items from fans to autograph in order to protect players.

While cases continue to grow in North America, they have been fairly minimal compared to other countries. There’s concern about the disease’s impact on foreign countries that the NBA scouts and pre-draft scouting visits and workouts could be limited or even canceled.

As of now, the NBA is preparing for upcoming events such as the Global Hoops Summit and NBA Draft Combine to proceed as scheduled.

The NBA has been in communication with both the CDC and private experts according to a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic. 

Their expectation, at the moment, is that a player infected with the virus would be sidelined for around two weeks.

So far, the NBA has not canceled, rescheduled or otherwise altered any games. We’ll keep you posted on any developments.