Several professional sports leagues in the United States are keeping a watchful eye on the recent coronavirus outbreak. And the NBA is one of them.
But Marcus Smart has been taking precautions to avoid the illness for quite some time — even before the league’s initial memo was released this weekend.
“I don’t sign as many autographs either because of it,” the Boston Celtics guard said Tuesday, per WEEI’s Nick Friar. “It’s just tough. Obviously, you want to interact with the fans, but, unfortunately, the safety risks that are involved for not just us but the fans, as well. We want to try to limit it.”
Smart isn’t the only player taking these kinds of precautions. Portland Trailblazers star CJ McCollum on Sunday announced he’s stopped signing autographs for the time being after several cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Oregon.
Smart knows it’s not ideal, but hopes fans will understand.
“It’s not malicious. It’s not towards them,” Smart said. “It’s just to keep everybody safe.”
Better safe than sorry, eh?
