The NBA announced that home games for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers would resume on Monday after both teams postponed games originally scheduled for Saturday due to the wildfires sweeping through Southern California.
The Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, while the Clippers will host the Miami Heat at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, south of the Palisades fire.
The Clippers said at practice Sunday that the league had given the green light for Monday’s game. The Spurs said they were told Monday’s game against the Lakers would be played as scheduled.
Saturday’s games in Southern California, where the Lakers were originally scheduled to host the Spurs in the first of two back-to-back games between the two teams and the Clippers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets, were postponed in response to the fires. The Lakers also had a game previously scheduled for Thursday against the Hornets pushed back.
NBA POSTPONEES SATURDAY’S LAKERS-SPURS, CLIPPERS-HORNETS GAMES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Due
Los Angeles Lakers NBA head basketball coach JJ Redick, right, is hugged by guard Austin Reaves, left, before speaking to the media about the Pacific Palisades wildfire during a news conference in El Segundo, Calif., Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 . (AP)
“I pray this nightmare ends soon!” Lakers star forward LeBron James wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday.
The Spurs had to change hotels due to fire concerns after arriving in Los Angeles, while the Heat arrived Saturday night as scheduled.
The Lakers and Clippers are also scheduled to host games on Wednesday, when the Lakers host the Heat and the Clippers play the Brooklyn Nets.
“When people lose their homes, kids lose schools, lose lives, it’s very hard to approach basketball because life is bigger than basketball,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “Hopefully we can bring some kind of joy with the game coming back tomorrow and some unity and try to put some smiles on people’s faces in tough times.”
LEBRON JAMES SENDS ‘SO MANY PRAYERS’ AS LOS ANGELES FIRES CONTINUE
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard watches during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea)
Clippers guard Terance Mann plans to search through a storage unit he has for useful items he intends to donate.
“I just want to give a lot of clothes, some money, shoes, whatever I can,” he said. “I want to help people and donate and drive around and do whatever I can do to help.”
Some members of the Clippers organization were forced to evacuate their homes during the fires. The team was on the road when the fires began, and star forward Kawhi Leonard left the team in Denver to help his family in Pacific Palisades evacuate.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said his family’s Pacific Palisades rental home caught fire Tuesday night, destroying most of their belongings.
“I wasn’t prepared for what I saw,” Redick said Friday. “It’s complete destruction and devastation. I had to go a different way to the house but I went through most of the village and it’s all gone. I don’t think you can ever prepare for something like this. Our home is away.”
Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick says he and his family lost their house in the deadly Pacific Palisades wildfire during an NBA basketball news conference at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, Calif., Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
The Lakers announced a fundraiser for their upcoming games starting Monday. The team has encouraged fans to bring new items in the package to support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s relief efforts.
The team’s UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo will be used as a drive-thru donation center starting Tuesday, with essential non-food items listed as priorities, but packaged foods are also welcome.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association, the players’ union, announced Friday a $1 million donation for immediate relief to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and other organizations working to provide assistance to the victims and recovery efforts.
