The NBA is reportedly considering measures to keep games going as coronavirus fears mount, including raising the possibility of playing in empty arenas.
LeBron James said that’s not something he’s willing to consider.
LeBron James on possibility of NBA playing games behind closed doors because of coronavirus. LeBron: “I ain’t playing” if there are no fans pic.twitter.com/kpHg6bsFYO
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) March 7, 2020
“I ain’t playing,” James said of any potential NBA game without fans. “I ain’t got the fans in the crowd. That’s who I play for. I play for my teammates. I play for the fans. That’s what it’s all about. If I show up to an arena and there are no fans in there, I ain’t playing. They can do what they want to do.”
So, yeah, not that offensive an answer. LeBron doesn’t want to play in an empty gym with fans not allowed to be there, because to him, that’s not really the point of what the NBA stands for. Not that offensive!
Enter WEEI’s Patrick Gilroy, giving a news update and taking the opportunity to go in hard on LeBron (and Kyrie Irving, too.) Here’s that clip, via Funhouse:
This is what qualifies as a "sports update" these days? I know I'm the only one listening, but come on…. pic.twitter.com/Qg1L9kz6o9
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) March 8, 2020
“LeBron said ‘I ain’t playing.’ That’s a douche move, from a douchey kind of guy. In other NBA news, the Nets and coach Kenny Atkinson “mutually” decide to part ways. More douchey behavior from Kyrie Irving, I’m sure, led to Kenny Atkinson losing his job despite the fact that the Nets are the #7 seed with no Kyrie and no Durant.”
That’s certainly a way to describe it.
How is this guy on the air? Is that what @WEEI has become?
— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) March 8, 2020
I am THE Lebron hater, but I can understand not wanting to play if there isn't an audience.
— Clint (@irundownhill) March 8, 2020
Gilroy’s most recent tweet as of Sunday afternoon was also a reference to the Nets story, and he also worked in a LeBron insult:
kyrie out for the year and the @BrooklynNets are still a playoff team and @KyrieIrving is still doing his best @KingJames impression….unbelievable…. https://t.co/eHAD3RW0FP
— Patrick J. Gilroy (@GilroyonHoops) March 7, 2020
Say it to Lebron's face.
— Jay Cure (@jaycure05) March 8, 2020
Whatever anyone’s thoughts are on Kyrie or LeBron, going full ad hominem during a news update seems a bit over the top.
