Sports Burst - LeBron: Whatever It Takes
LeBron James says anytime, anyplace, anywhere to support return of NBA after admitting that there will be no "closure" if season is abandoned
By Tim Stannard/beIN SPORTS USA
King James reverses stance on playing NBA games without fans in an effort to bring back the sport, whatever it takes
One of the biggest figures in the world of sport has declared that he will do whatever is needed and go wherever is needed to get basketball on our screens once again.
That figure is LeBron James and revealed on a call with reporters on Wednesday that he is raring to go and ready to begin being compared to Michael Jordan once again with an NBA restart, in whatever form that may take.
King James had previously been sniffy to say the least about playing games behind closed doors but is now fully in the 'whatever it takes' camp, whether that be no fans in the stands at the Staples Center or heading to Las Vegas for a giant NBA zone of quarantine.
Time spent training in his gym, experiencing lots of people talking over each other on video calls and watching Tiger King and "pretty much anything that has the word 'king' in it" on TV sees LeBron joining the can-do camp.
"I would love to get the season back going," declared the Lakers star admitting that there would be "no closure" for him if the NBA season was abandoned.
ATP president admits that tennis may not return this year
A leading figure from the tennis world has admitted that there is a chance that the sport simply won't be able to return this year.
Speaking to the Italian media, ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi admitted that constantly making contingency plans for Grand Slams and tournaments scattered throughout the globe and calendar is akin to banging your head against a wall. "It's very possible that tennis won't start again until next year," said Gaudenzi.
This unfortunate downtime could well force tennis players to follow the same route as Maria Sharapova who invited the good people of the USA to text her messages and suggestions for keeping busy by publishing the number of her cell phone. Which probably exploded soon after.
Meanwhile, Formula 1 has been looking at the bare minimum required to have something resembling a season. Ross Brawn, the managing director of F1, said that the minimum number of races would be eight to be counted as a major championship.
Heading Down Under and Australian rugby league could be back in business in late May if medical restrictions in the country are lifted in time, however "we will be flexible" said ARL chairman Peter V'landys.
For those uninitiated to the sport, Australian rugby league is akin to the biggest hits in NFL without the pads. As well as spot of visor-free eye-gouging.
Former Barca board member reveals Camp Nou divisions
A weary Sports Burst has been putting this off a little, but with a heavy heart it's time to dip into who has been mean about whom at Barcelona.
Today's Camp Nou character to talk to the press and lift the lid on an overly spicy institutional stew is former Sporting VP, Jordi Mestre, who left the club last summer and pulled off every simile and metaphor imaginable in an interview with Catalan radio to admit that in his experience, the Barcelona board were not "eating the same meal...that was clear. "
Josep Bartomeu calling for several members of the current board to resign suggests that it is a free-for-all Applebee's order-in at the Camp Nou these days.
Mestre urged caution over suits at the club speaking to the media arguing that "dirty laundry should be done at home."
This is a policy that has been followed well at the Santiago Bernabeu with Real Madrid able to keep a fairly tight lid on how it has been dealing with the financial COVID-19 impacts. Despite a slip of complaint from Toni Kroos, an agreement has been made with the team's players that there will be a temporary 10%-20% cut in salary to try to make ends meet until LaLiga returns.
Over in the French capital and Le Parisian is reporting that the PSG players have agreed to a 50% pay cut until soccer in France comes back.
The Sports Burst live show will bring you the latest on all of this at 12PM ET on our beIN SPORTS Facebook page, Youtube Live and also the beIN SPORTS USA XTRA channel.
And don't forget that Sports Burst PM runs Monday to Friday at 7PM on beIN SPORTS.
Today's special guest is Chicago Fire head coach, Raphael Wicky, who talks about a tumultuous start to his MLS coaching career and how to coach a top-flight team virtually.