LOS ANGELES — With the Lakers about to play their first game after a six-day layoff due to the Southern California wildfires, their coach, JJ Redick, took a moment to focus on something he hoped could be gained after so much has been lost.
“I think a group functions best when you draw strength from each other,” said Redick, whose home was one of the thousands lost to the fires in the past week. “Then it’s our job to go give strength and give hope and give joy. Sports are a lot of things, and sports can certainly provide an escape and a distraction; and hopefully, sports — and tonight — can provide some joy, as well.”
The Lakers worked with the NBA, Los Angeles County officials and the San Antonio Spurs to hold Monday’s game as scheduled, announcing that the franchise would be dedicating the game to the L.A. community and the first responders who have worked to provide relief from the fires that have killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures across 40,000 acres of charred land.
“Sports really work well when the team, the organization, has a connection to the city and the fans feel a connection to the team,” Redick said before the Lakers lost 126-102 to the Spurs. “And then it just flows in some sort of eternal circle of that. The Lakers have that with the city of Los Angeles. Having played here before and lived here, I’m well aware of that relationship. And part of the reason I wanted to coach here was to participate in that.”
The Lakers banded together with all of L.A.’s professional sports teams to pledge more than $8 million toward local relief efforts, and the team started a donation drive Monday that it will continue through Saturday to collect essential personal items and nonperishable food items at home games at Crypto.com Arena and at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo.
Redick said several Lakers players were forced to leave their homes by order of evacuation, like so many others.
Anthony Davis, who said he could see the flames through the windows in his home, was forced to evacuate along with his family on Friday, before being permitted to return later in the weekend.
“The fight isn’t over,” Davis said. “We still have a lot to do.”
He added that he wanted to meet personally with first responders and arrange for Lakers tickets as a sign of gratitude.
“Just trying to figure it all out and do my part as one of the leaders here in our community,” Davis said.
Despite the upheaval around the team, Redick said the Lakers became closer during the unplanned break in their game schedule, with contests against the Charlotte Hornets and another game against the Spurs postponed indefinitely.
“Truthfully, I think it was our best three days in the gym — non-games, of course — but our best three days in the gym since the first three days of training camp,” Redick said. “It was the right spirit, we got a lot done and the guys were super connected.”
L.A. players took the court before Monday’s contest wearing special black warmup shirts printed with the Lakers’ logo along with the Los Angeles Fire Department’s symbol and the message, “Thank you, first responders.” Redick also wore the Lakers/LAFD logo as a patch on the arm of his sweater.
Prior to tipoff, Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter invited the crowd to join in a moment of silence and reflection.
“Our hearts are with those who have suffered from this horrible tragedy,” he said.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, one of the players displaced by the fires, also took the microphone to address the fans from center court.
“We definitely want to give a shoutout to the first responders who are putting their lives on the line right now to protect our community,” Vincent said.
The Clippers, meanwhile, returned to host the Miami Heat on Monday night at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, about 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Team representatives covered every seat with giveaway white towels featuring the words “LA Strong” and a blue image of the state of California.
“We’re so thankful for the first responders, but we ache for the victims,” public address announcer Eric Smith said before the Clippers’ 109-98 win against the Heat. “The smoke will lift, and they will return and rebuild, because this is L.A. Today, we all stand together [as] one team, one Los Angeles.”
Clippers guard James Harden, a Los Angeles native, acknowledged that while it can be difficult to know what to say to people who have lost so much, it’s important to “just try to support, have their back and really come together and closer because, honestly, that’s the only route we’ve got.”
Coach Ty Lue said his team and the entire Clippers organization is “trying to do everything we can to help.”
Redick, whose family is staying in a hotel while reeling from the loss of their Pacific Palisades home, again took the chance to thank everyone inside and outside the Lakers organization who has offered support thus far.
“I’m awfully proud to be a part of the Lakers organization and our response,” Redick said. “It just makes you feel proud to be with the Lakers.”
After their game with the Lakers, San Antonio’s Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama presented Redick’s two sons, Knox and Kai, with their game-worn uniforms and autographed the jerseys for the children to have as a keepsake.
Redick, who played with Paul on the Clippers, said the point guard was aware that his sons lost their basketball memorabilia collection in the fire.
“When you’ve been in the league long enough, you have this big circle, and it’s people you like, people you love and then it’s your brothers — and Chris is in that inner-inner circle of brothers,” Redick said. “I’m not surprised Chris did something like that.”
Paul swelled with emotion when asked about the gesture afterward.
“You play a lot of years in this league and some guys are just teammates, but JJ is part of my family,” Paul said. “So, him and his wife, those kids — Knox and Kai … I know a lot of people lost family members, homes, stuff like that. It hits different when the people are close to you.”
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
