NBA says plan for empty arenas; LeBron says no
NEW YORK » The NBA wants its teams to prepare to play games without fans if necessary because of the coronavirus crisis, but LeBron James already says he won’t play basketball in an empty arena.
The league circulated a memo to its teams Friday telling them to prepare in case it becomes necessary to play games without fans or media, as sports leagues in Europe have already done. The memo detailed potential actions that teams might need to take “if it were to become necessary to play a game with only essential staff present.”
But when James was asked about that possibility on Friday night, the NBA’s leading active scorer was definitive.
“We play games without the fans? Nah, that’s impossible,” James said. “I ain’t playing if I ain’t got the fans in the crowd. That’s who I play for. I play for my teammates, and I play for the fans. That’s what it’s all about. So if I show up to an arena and there ain’t no fans in there, I ain’t playing. They can do what they want to do.”
The memo says teams should identify which team and arena people would be necessary to conduct games, and be able to communicate quickly with non-essential staff, as well as ticket holders and corporate partners. Teams should also be prepared “for the possibility of implementing temperature checks on players, team staff, referees, and anyone else who is essential to conducting such a game in the team’s arena.” KENNY ATKINSON OUT AS BROOKLYN NETS COACH IN SURPRISE SPLIT » Kenny Atkinson won’t have the chance to coach Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving together in Brooklyn.
The Nets and their coach decided his influence with the team ran out before that pair could get started.
The Nets surprisingly split with their coach Saturday, even as they remain on track for a second consecutive playoff berth.
Hockey
BLUES-BLACKHAWKS GAME ON NBCSN TO FEATURE ALLFEMALE CREW » Kaitlin Urka’s goal of having an allfemale crew work an NHL game will become a reality on Sunday.
The St. Louis Blues-Chicago Blackhawks telecast on NBCSN will be the first time a pro hockey game is led solely by women in the United States. It also coincides with International Women’s Day.
Urka, who is one of the producers for the game, pitched the idea early in the season. NBC executives approved it in January, and it was announced last month.
Kate Scott will handle play-by-play with Olympic gold medalists Mleczko and Kendall CoyneSchofield providing analysis. Mleczko will be in the booth with Coyne-Schofield reporting between the team benches at ice level. VIRUS SLAMS WOMEN’S HOCKEY WORLDS IN CANADA » The women’s world hockey championships in Canada were canceled Saturday because of public health concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus.
The two-week tournament was set to open March 31, with venues in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia.
René Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said in a statement there has been “not enough of an improvement to the coronavirus situation to allow us to safely host a 10-team international tournament within this time frame.”
Fasel told The Associated Press by phone the decision was made by conference call. He noted the concerns over the health of players and fans attending the tournament as well as the difficulties in making travel plans for some nations, in particular, Japan, where almost all sports events and large gatherings have been canceled.
“It’s scary,” he said.
Auto racing
NASCAR 7-TIME CHAMP JIMMIE
JOHNSON TO TEST INDYCAR IN APRIL » Seven-time NASCAR Cup winner Jimmie Johnson said he’s going to do an IndyCar team test with McLaren Racing on April 6.
Johnson said Saturday he wasn’t sure if the one-day team test in Birmingham, Alabama, would lead to an IndyCar future, but he’s intrigued by the “totally different environment” of open-wheel racing.
“There’s a chance I won’t like it, but I think the chances are low,” Johnson said. “More than anything I’m just thankful that McLaren and the friendship I have there with (CEO) Zak Brown, where he’s like: ‘Hey, man, come give it a shot. See what you think. You take a look at it. We’ll take a look at you.’”
Johnson already has announced that 2020 will be his final season running a full-time schedule in the Cup series.
Gymnastics
HURD WINS WOMEN’S ALLAROUND AT AMERICAN CUP » Morgan Hurd is turning the page from a frustrating 2019 season and going for her first Olympic berth. That new approach is paying early dividends.
The 18-year-old from Middletown, Delaware, won the women’s allaround title at the American Cup on Saturday. This marks the second time in three years that Hurd has won the all-around title at the American Cup, the first major international competitionleading to the Tokyo Games.
“I guess I just have almost a different mentality,” Hurd said. “I’m learning to be calmer and just really telling myself that I’m really just in a practice, (that) I’m not even doing a meet. That’s what I kept telling myself all day.’’
Hurd posted a total score of 55.832 to lead the 12 competitors. Kayla DiCello of the U.S. was second with 55.132. Hitomi Hatakeda of Japan was third with 53.799.