Mike D'Antoni: NBA Will Be 'Out in Front' of Coronavirus Outbreak

The NBA has banned media from locker rooms due to the coronavirus outbreak, but fans are still allowed in arenas.

Mike D'Antoni wasn't swarmed by reporters as he exited the Rockets' locker room on Tuesday. 

Rather than undergo his usual pregame meeting with the media in the hallway at the Toyota Center, D'Antoni walked into the media room and took a seat at the traditional postgame podium. D'Antoni didn't seem to mind the NBA's altered protocol due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

"This is much better," D'Antoni joked with the media.

Houston's head coach quickly moved past the jokes when discussing the coronavirus. D'Antoni noted that he trusts the NBA's decision making, and he will follow the protocols of the "health experts" as well as the league office.

"Well I think it's up to everybody to do the best they can and get the right information from the people that know, the health experts, and do what they recommend," D'Antoni said. "The NBA will be out in front of this, and they will do what's right or try to do what's right and we will definitely follow them."

D'Antoni also commented on the league's decision to ban media from locker rooms both before and after games. The NBA isn't alone in its ruling, joined by the NHL, MLS and MLB. Houston's head coach didn't take a stance on the NBA's edict, continuing to defer to those in the medical community. 

"People are trying to find the best way to handle a tough situation, and an unknown situation, and a situation that's growing worse," D'Antoni said. "We will follow the health experts, and that will flow down to the team brass and say what we'll do."

Rockets forward Robert Covington also spoke with the media pregame from the designated podium. He discussed the possibility of playing games with fans banned from the arena, a step taken by sports leagues in Japan and other nations impacted by the coronavirus. So what would a game be like without fans in the seats? 

"Weird," Covington told the media. "Like LeBron said, it’s hard to play in a setting where there’s no fans or it’s a quiet arena."

Fans will still be in the arena on Tuesday as the Rockets host the Timberwolves. Tip-off from the Toyota Center in Houston is slated for 7 p.m. CT.