Kings guard De’Aaron Fox rejects idea of closing arenas to fans due to coronavirus
America’s major professional sports leagues took new steps Monday to protect players from the COVID-19 coronavirus, but Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox has joined Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James in rejecting the idea of playing games in empty arenas.
The NBA issued a memo last week instructing teams to prepare for that possibility. The league announced Monday it is joining Major League Baseball, the NHL and MLS in temporarily eliminating the media’s locker room access to players. Other measures could be discussed in a conference call involving NBA owners Wednesday, but Fox said he is not in favor of closing arenas to fans.
“I don’t know about that,” Fox said. “I think that’s kind of weird, and it’s not even the same game, honestly.”
Players are heeding recommendations to avoid giving high-fives and taking items from autograph seekers, but Fox said he would prefer to postpone games if the league determines it is necessary to close arenas in response to the growing coronavirus threat.
“I think I’d definitely rather postpone games than play with no fans,” Fox told The Sacramento Bee. “That’s why you have a home court. That’s a part of most sports, having homecourt advantage or going into a hostile environment. That’s a part of the game. Without fans, it’s not the same game.”
James expressed similar sentiments Friday after the NBA told teams to prepare for the possibility of playing games in empty arenas.
“I play for the fans,” James told reporters in Los Angeles. “That’s what it’s all about. If I show up to the arena and there ain’t no fans there, I ain’t playing.”
The NBA and its teams are working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to formulate plans to address the growing coronavirus threat.
The NBA, NHL MLB and the MLS issued a joint statement Monday announcing they will close locker rooms to the media. Locker rooms will only be open to essential team personnel, including players, coaches, general managers and public relations staffers. Media access to players will be limited to designated areas outside of the locker room, with a specific directive from the NBA to keep players 6 to 8 feet away from reporters, sources told ESPN.
The Kings have coordinated with the NBA and local health officials to inform and protect players while implementing precautionary measures at Golden 1 Center, including an increase in hand-sanitizing stations.
“We’ve brought in doctors to talk to the team. We’ve showed them videos,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “… The NBA is really good at player and fan safety always being at the forefront of what they do, so there’s constantly communication going on between all of our organizations and the NBA.”
Kings guard Cory Joseph agreed team and league officials have done a good job of advising players. He said players must remain conscious of the threat and vigilant in protecting themselves from exposure.
“Definitely conscious,” Joseph said. “You’ve got to be. Whenever there’s an outbreak like that, I think you’ve got to be conscious of the fact. You can’t be oblivious to it.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Kings guard De’Aaron Fox rejects idea of closing arenas to fans due to coronavirus."
