NBA Rumors: Coronavirus Could Lead To Games Being Played Without Fans

Sports leagues around the world are taking serious precaution as the coronavirus outbreak spreads, and the NBA reportedly has expanded on its initial warning to franchises.

According to The Athletics’ Shams Charania, the league sent a memo to teams informing them they should get ready to potentially play games in empty arenas.

“The NBA has sent a memo to its franchises explaining that, due to coronavirus outbreak, teams should be preparing to play games without fans in attendance and identifying ‘essential staff’ present for these games — should it be necessary,” Charania reported via Twitter on Friday night.

Of course, this is a worst-case scenario as the teams would take a serious hit financially if they couldn’t sell tickets or benefit from home-court advantage as the playoffs get closer.

Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, as a quiet TD Garden during a Celtics game is something no one wants to see.