LeBron James, Jaylen Brown react to COVID-19 outbreak amid NBA season stoppage
MANILA, Philippines — NBA stars LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown made their voices heard on the state of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
In a report by Boston Globe's Nicole Yang, Brown posted a live video on his Instagram urging fans to take the situation more seriously.
Earlier tonight, before the NBA announced the season was supsended, Jaylen Brown went on IG live to talk about coronavirus: “This is urgent. The way they stop viruses is by shutting things down.” pic.twitter.com/0rm2Y7UxzC
— Nicole Yang (@nicolecyang) March 12, 2020
Later that day, the NBA announced it would be suspending the rest of the season indefinitely as the world continued to reel from the virus scare. This after fellow NBA player and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert was confirmed to be a carrier of the virus.
The World Health Organization earlier announced that the outbreak had been classified as a pandemic.
"I see a lot of young people making jokes and dismissing it, and I get it. [But] maybe you might not be affected by it, but someone else that you probably know will, whether it's elderly or people who are sick already," the Celtics swingman said.
“This is urgent. The way they stop viruses is by shutting things down. I want people to have the awareness of what's going on. This is not a joke. People will be affected by it," he added.
He also urged fans to take the necessary precautionary measures, including observing proper hygiene, practicing social distancing and staying aware of the situation.
"Also [be] considerate, limiting your amount of contact with people. Staying home if its possible. The less people you come into contact with, the better," said Brown.
"Beyond his years. Love how he understands the younger generation and the culture that we live in and speaks out by being a leader and not following what culture says," one fan wrote.
The Celtics forward is having the best season of his young career thus far, averaging 20 points, six rebounds and two assists a game on 49, 38 and 73 shooting splits, while James, who is on his 17th season in the league, regularly posts norms of 26 markers, 8 boards and 11 assists a contest on 50, 35 and 70 shooting percentages.
But the excellent seasons they've been putting in will have to wait as the NBA will have to reckon with the viral threat.
For his part, James wrote tweeted: "It’s been a rough 3 months. God bless and stay safe."
Man we cancelling sporting events, school, office work, etc etc. What we really need to cancel is 2020! ??????????. Damn it’s been a rough 3 months. God bless and stay safe????????
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 12, 2020
As of posting, the new virus, which originated from Wuhan, China, has afflicted over 126,000 across the globe.
Closer to home, the President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a state of public health emergency, while the Philippines has recorded its second death linked to the virus.
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