The NBA is looking to take measures over growing coronavirus concerns.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA's Board of Governors reached consensus on the league's season going forward with fans being barred from attending games.
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.
Adam Silver is expected to make a decision on Thursday.
Woj also reported that the Knicks wanted to wait until the government mandated changes.
Several teams were willing to put the games on hiatus, but the rest wanted to move toward eliminating fans from arenas to continue playing games, sources tell ESPN. One team wanted to keep status quo until a governmental/public mandate dictated change: The New York Knicks.
There were plenty of rumblings about possible solutions before the NBA made its decision. Prior to the news, Wojnarowski revealed that the NBA and the Board of Governors/Owners were holding a meeting on Wednesday to discuss possible next steps. Per sources, the focus of this meeting was to brainstorm ways to have the season continue without putting fans or players at risk of catching the virus.
The greater consensus among the teams is continuing to play games without fans in arenas, and the league is expected to move toward a resolution on Thursday, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/Op82C0aR6E
Also, Sam Amick of The Athletic claimed that the NBA has been asking governors and stadium officials to provide their arena's schedules into July. This seemed to be a clear indicator that the league was prepping for a stoppage in play or a modified schedule.
Before the NBA took action, some arenas took it upon themselves to protect their patrons. The Golden State Warriors and the Chase Center announced that the team's upcoming home games will be closed to fans.
Insiders also told the New York Times' Marc Stein that the NBA had been warning teams to prepare for games with "only essential staff present."
