The wildfires that continue to wreak havoc in the Los Angeles region forced LeBron James and his family to leave their home.

The four-time NBA champion confirmed to reporters that he has been temporarily staying at a hotel that has made him feel “off”. James also opened up about his emotional state when he learned that some of his friends lost their homes.

“There’s been a lot of emotion,” James said during a press conference. “I have a couple of dear friends who have lost their homes in the Palisades. Obviously, my heart goes out to all the families across not only the (Pacific) Palisades, but all of LA County and all the surrounding areas because of of the fire and things like that. It’s been a lot of emotions.

“Personally, I have been free,” he added. “Personally, my family, we’ve been evacuated since Thursday night. So I’ve been in a hotel since basically when we got back from Dallas. So just figuring it out. But be strong for each other. It’s obviously, that’s most important.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist

James spoke after the Lakers’ 117-108 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday. James, 40, finished the game with 22 points and nine assists.

RAMS’ MATTHEW STAFFORD ACKNOWLEDGES ‘PLAYING FOR PEOPLE BACK HOME’ AMID LA WILDFIRES

This is not the first time the James family has been evacuated due to fires. In 2019, the family left their home after brush fires broke out near the Getty Center in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. James lives in Brentwood.

James provided updates on his social media feed at the time. He talked about some of the differences between what his family experienced more than five years ago and what they are struggling with now.

LeBron James (6) of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a photo with his family at the end of a game, (L-R) Bronny James, Bryce James, Zhuri James Savannah James and Gloria James at Crypto.com Arena Feb. 7 2023, in Los Angeles. (Harry How/Getty Images)

“We had that experience and were able to lean on it a little bit,” James said. “The difference between ’19 and today, in ’19 it was in the middle of the night so we had to go right away. We had a little more time before we had to evacuate so we could get some things, get some possessions or whatever the matter now may be, get some things that meant things to us.

“But our home certainly hasn’t been touched since the moment we left, but it’s still standing and we’re grateful for that. Hopefully it’ll stay standing. Just waiting patiently when we get permission to possibly go back to it and be as one under our home.”

James said his position as a professional athlete comes with the responsibility of giving fans and the community at least a brief respite from the situation facing people throughout the region.

Residents try to escape a house fire in Pacific Palisades, California, January 8, 2025. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“It’s certainly our job to know that we still have a job to do,” James said. “We have to focus on our jobs, but also still be people and also understand what real life is about. I hope we go on the floor and (know) we play like we played tonight — not like we played against San Antonio – but the way we played tonight and hopefully for the next few months or whatever it is, years until the city is back, we as a Lakers franchise and the players who play for the Lakers give us a sense of hope and pride and excitement and things like that things.

“Sports have always given people an opportunity to just temporarily forget everything they might have been through. And we’re such a big part of the LA community — along with a lot of other sports teams, but we know how important the Lakers are to the community—hopefully we can give it to a lot of families.”

The NBA postponed the Lakers’ home games on Jan. 9 and Jan. 11 because of the wildfires. The Lakers were off Thursday but will return to action Friday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.