Baron Davis Criticizes Jay Williams After 'Get Up' Segment Advocating For NBA Return With No Fans
By Liam McKeone
The NBA season has been postponed. The timeline for its return remains undetermined, but the possibility of playing games with no fans has already been floated as everyone tries to figure out the best and safest way for basketball to re-enter our lives.
LeBron James expressed his reservations about playing with no crowd earlier this week, saying there's no excitement or joy without fans; the idea of sports is not complete without fans, and LeBron doesn't see much of a difference between a playoff game and a scrimmage if there's no one in the arena. Jay Williams went on Get Up on Friday afternoon to argue that sports are important enough to enough people that, if the NBA decides it's the best course of action, LeBron and his peers should play the games with no fans despite any doubts they might have.
Baron Davis strongly disagreed with Williams' assessment and said as much via his Twitter account.
I think it's important to note that Williams was not saying that NBA players have an obligation to put themselves at risk for the sake of playing games for others' benefit, as Davis seems to interpret here. He is simply asking LeBron to put aside his personal preference for playing with a crowd if it came down to playing games with no crowd or not playing a game at all.
Strong words from one former player-turned-analyst to another here.