ANKARA 

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reacted sharply to comments Thursday about canceling the NBA season because of the novel coronavirus.

"That’s absolutely not true. Nobody I know saying anything like that," James said on Twitter about reports executives and agents are seeking to cancel the season.

"As soon as it’s safe we would like to finish our season. I’m ready and our team is ready," said the 35-year-old. "Nobody should be canceling anything."

While the coronavirus continues to spread in the US, claiming close to 62,000 lives, the future of the season is in doubt, and it is still unclear if games will be played without fans.

Since first appearing in China last December, the virus has spread to at least 187 countries and regions, with the US and Europe the hardest-hit areas.

More than 3.2 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll surpassing 231,000 and more than 1 million recoveries, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.