Better to be safe than sorry.
The Los Angeles Lakers home game against the Charlotte Hornets scheduled for Thursday has been postponed due to the relentless and devasting wildfire crisis in Los Angeles County, according to people familiar with the decision not authorized to speak publicly.
The game was scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. PT on Thursday. Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA has not yet announced a new date for the contest or how tickets for the postponed game will be handled.
The Lakers’ next scheduled game is Saturday at Crypto.com Arena against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
The decision, which came down from the top a day after the NBA said it was monitoring the situation, comes as members of the organization try to sort through the emotions and trauma of the fires that affected people inside the Lakers, their friends and their families.
Embed from Getty Images“The entire NBA family sends its thoughts and support to the community of Los Angeles during this challenging time,” an NBA statement read. “We are grateful for the thousands of local firefighters and first responders who have demonstrated enormous bravery. Our prayers remain with those affected by the unimaginable devastation caused by the wildfires.”
Lakers head coach and Duke alum, JJ Redick, who had been renting a home in Pacific Palisades, had his family evacuated early Tuesday.
Elsewhere in the NBA, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard missed the team’s 126-103 loss at Denver Wednesday to be with his family and love ones after they evacuated from the Palisades area. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said his mother had to flee her home in Pacific Palisades Tuesday and the Golden State video coordinator’s childhood home was a casualty to the fires. Lakers president and governor Jeanie Buss has deep Los Angeles roots and attended Palisades High, which suffered significant fire damage.
“I want to send my thoughts and condolences to everybody in Los Angeles dealing with the fires,” Kerr said after the Warriors’ 114-98 loss to the Miami Heat.
“My mom lives in Pacific Palisades. She had to evacuate.
“Everything I’m seeing and reading is just terrifying what’s happening down there,” Kerr said, “so just want to send thoughts to everyone who’s going through the devastation of the fire. Obviously, the game is secondary to that and to many things in life. Perspective is important.”
