LeBron 'definitely not giving up' on 2019-20 season

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LeBron James remains optimistic about the future of the 2019-20 NBA season and is hopeful a resumption of play won't put anyone at further risk of contracting the coronavirus.

"Definitely not giving up on the season," the Los Angeles Lakers superstar said on Uninterrupted's "WRTS: After Party," according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. "Not only myself and my teammates, the Lakers organization, we want to play. There's a lot of players that I know personally that want to play. And obviously, we don't ever want to jeopardize the health of any of our players or any of the players' families and so on and so on."

He added: "This is a pandemic that we have no idea (about). We can't control it."

James was among several of the NBA's biggest stars who reportedly expressed united support for resuming the season during a private conference call organized by NBPA president Chris Paul last week.

While the three-time Finals MVP has cited public safety as his top priority, James has also noted he'd have no closure if the campaign went unfinished.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday his state is hoping to allow sporting events to proceed in the first week of June. The NBA, meanwhile, appears to be making some progress toward a potential return. Many teams, including the Lakers, have reopened practice facilities for voluntary workouts.

"We're seeing a lot of sporting events, UFC, soccer, we're hearing baseball’s about to get going in a little bit," James said. "You know, I want to get back to playing. I love to play the game of basketball. I know how inspiring the game of basketball is. I know how inspiring sport is, itself. As soon as possible, when we can get back out there, we'd love to bring the game of basketball back to our fans."