Prior to the stoppage of NBA games due to the novel coronavirus, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James claimed that he would not play in any games if fans were not able to watch from the stands.
Now, with the spread of the illness continuing at an alarming rate, it looks as though if the NBA does start back up, fans will almost certainly not be able to watch live for quite some time.
On a recent episode of FS1’s “Speak For Yourself,” Ric Bucher expressed his belief that James’ assertion that he wouldn’t play if fans can’t watch live was actually based on James’ desire to not play at all.
Ric Bucher: LeBron doesn’t really want to finish this season.
"The desire to play in front of fans is really a cover for, I don’t want to play these playoffs when I know I’m going to be at a disadvantage." — @RicBucherpic.twitter.com/3oHU3br2sv
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) March 31, 2020
“He knows that their chances, he’s now at a disadvantage in terms of being able to get this done,” Bucher said. “He looks much better if there is no resumption of the season and we just look at it and say, ‘Well, LeBron had the Lakers in first in the West, if it hadn’t been interrupted, if it hadn’t ended, he very likely would’ve gotten a championship in Los Angeles.'”
It is true that prior to the pause of NBA action, James made a statement saying that he would not play if fans were not able to attend games.
Clearly, that is what Bucher is referring to.
That being said, someone may want to tell Bucher that just days after that initial comment from James, the four-time MVP clarified his position and indicated that he would certainly play in empty arenas if that was what the league decided to do.
The assertion from Bucher seems to be almost completely baseless and is most likely an attempt by the sports radio personality to make some headlines.
It will be fascinating to see whether or not James decides to respond to this claim.
