The NBA and several other sports leagues are considering the possibility of playing games in front of empty arenas and stadiums due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, but Kawhi Leonard thinks the decision to attend a game or stay home should be left in the hands of the fans.
With concern increasing that the NBA will stop allowing fans to attend games, Leonard told reporters on Tuesday that he believes the league should leave it up to fans to decide if they want to risk exposing themselves to coronavirus.
Kawhi, on possibility of playing in an arena with no fans: "It will be very different if it does come to that. Hopefully the fans aren't mad or whatever. So it's up to them. I think we should just leave it up to the fans if they want to come to the games or not."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) March 11, 2020
Several players have said they would be disappointed if games are played without fans, though LeBron James recently changed his stance on the topic.
Obviously, the NBA and team owners don’t want to have to play games in empty arenas, but this is an unprecedented situation. If mandates are handed down by local, state and/or federal officials, the league will have no choice but to comply.
