NBA postpones Saturday's Lakers-Spurs, Clippers-Hornets games in Southern California due to wildfires
The NBA announced that Saturday's home games for both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers have been postponed amid the wildfires sweeping through Southern California.
The Lakers were scheduled to host the San Antonio Spurs while the Clippers were set to host the Charlotte Hornets.
The league has not yet announced makeup dates for the two games, and the league did not disclose if more games will be affected by the fires, as both teams have home games scheduled for Monday and Wednesday and the Lakers have another home game on Friday. The two teams are also supposed to play each other in Inglewood, California, on Jan. 19, when the Clippers will host.
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"The NBA and the Clippers and Lakers organizations have been in communication with local officials in Los Angeles and Inglewood about the ongoing situation in the Los Angeles area and the game postponements ensure no resources will be diverted from the wildfire response efforts," the league said in a statement.
Some members of both teams are directly dealing with the impacts of the wildfires, including Lakers coach JJ Redick, whose family's rental home in Pacific Palisades burned on Tuesday night, destroying many of their belongings.
"I was not prepared for what I saw," Redick told reporters. "It’s complete devastation and destruction. 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 yourself for something like that. Our home is gone."
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The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association, which is the players' union, announced on 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.
The donation was meant "to support those affected by this disaster," the league said, adding that it is "working with the Lakers and Clippers on ways to support longer term assistance and rebuilding efforts."
The Lakers also had a game previously scheduled for Thursday against the Hornets postponed as well, but it has not yet been rescheduled.
The Lakers are scheduled to host the Spurs again on Monday, when the Clippers are set to host the Miami Heat. On Wednesday, the Lakers are scheduled to host the Heat and the Clippers are scheduled to host the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers are also slated to host the Nets on Friday.
The Clippers said they anticipate that the games starting Monday will be played as scheduled.
"The health and safety of our community and our fans remains our highest priority," the team said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.