A second contest between Utsunomiya Brex and Chiba Jets Funabashi was called off after one of the referees had a fever. All games were to be played without fans present in the arenas. United States-born big man Jeff Ayres elected not to return to play in Japan due to his worries over the precautions that teams were taking to protect player. Ayers was leading the league in rebounding at the time of his decision. Ayers told ESPN “I felt we were putting ourselves at risk. It was a reckless environment.”