NBA Moves Closer To Cancelling Season, LeBron Unhappy

The NBA is staring down the barrel of it’s first ever cancelled season as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite leading the way for elite sport in precautionary measures, the league intended to resume it’s season at some point.

Given the uncertainty of the coronavirus situation, it is nigh on impossible to complete the season before the next one is due to begin.

European soccer seems to be heading in the direction of outright cancellation of its seasons. The Dutch Eredivisie and the French Ligue 1 have this week canceled their seasons, with more likely to follow.

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Now, NBA executives are pushing for the same thing. While it would be the prudent decision, the league has one problem: LeBron James.

LeBron James Tweeted his opposition to the reports on Thursday:

“Saw some reports about execs and agents wanting to cancel season??? That’s absolutely not true. Nobody I know saying anything like that. As soon as it’s safe we would like to finish our season. I’m ready and our team is ready.  Nobody should be canceling anything.”

Some weeks ago, LeBron said he wouldn’t play behind closed doors games, but backed down. Expect him to back down from this as well in the face of the language coming from owners and executives.

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“What [owners] are saying is, ’If we return, where is the revenue that is going to justify the additional cost of returning?” one team executive said. 

“They are looking at the cost side versus the revenue side. What revenue comes in now?”

“These owners aren’t just sitting there with an ATM that’s printing more than ever before,” Andy Dolich, the Grizzlies former president of business operations, told CNBC. 

“Some of them are looking at vast losses outside of just their basketball team.”