LeBron James says he would refuse to play if the Los Angeles Lakers had to stage games behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak.
On Friday, the NBA asked teams to start preparing for the possibility of playing without fans in attendance.
In a memo obtained by ESPN, the NBA has also asked teams to identify "essential staff" in order to limit attendees.
"Play games without the fans? No, simple answer," said James after the Lakers' win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I ain't playing if we haven't got the fans in the crowd, that's who I play for.
"I play for my team-mates, 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."
On Friday, the NBA asked teams to start preparing for the possibility of playing without fans in attendance.
In a memo obtained by ESPN, the NBA has also asked teams to identify "essential staff" in order to limit attendees.
"Play games without the fans? No, simple answer," said James after the Lakers' win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I ain't playing if we haven't got the fans in the crowd, that's who I play for.
"I play for my team-mates, 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."
