According to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the NBA is preparing to play in empty stadiums in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
The league's memo stated if these precautions are taken (i.e., no spectators in attendance), NBA teams will need to identify "essential staff" to bring to games.
The league's decision to remind teams of the potential for games without fans also comes in the wake of worldwide cancellations and empty stadium games due to the coronavirus outbreak. In Italy, all sporting events are taking place without fans until April 3. Last Saturday, in Japan, sporting events took place without spectators, including preseason games for the Nippon Professional Baseball League and the Japan Race Association.
The NBA is simply taking precautionary measures, as Charania stated in his report, NBA teams should be preparing to play in games without fans "should it be necessary."
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