The Los Angeles Lakers have not played their last two games but may finally be returning to the court on Monday night amid the wildfires ravaging the greater L.A. communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. All around the country, though, people are showing their humanity in helping the city, and Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff put forth his own personal gesture on Saturday night.
Bickerstaff has no ties to Los Angeles other than his dad Bernie coaching in the Lakers organization for some time. He has never played, coached or lived in the L.A. area though. And yet, on Saturday night, he decided that he would donate $500 for every assist that his team had in their game against the Toronto Raptors.
The Pistons were sharing the ball with ease, dishing out 35 assists to tie a season-high. Cade Cunningham had 17 assists all by himself, and Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press broke down the totals after the win:
Pistons finished with 35 assists tonight. That's $17500.
Cade had 17 assists, which is $8500 by himself https://t.co/7FrPZFT7sv
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) January 12, 2025
This is both an incredible gesture from Bickerstaff and a timely performance from the Pistons, who were clearly motivated to help Los Angeles in any way possible. Tying a season high in assists on the night their coach is donating per assist is no coincidence.
Now, $17,500 extra is going towards L.A. wildfire relief efforts, and when the Lakers or L.A. Clippers resume play at their home stadiums, they’ll surely have to thank the Pistons for what they did to help the community in a small way.
Lakers among teams partnering with Fanatics on L.A. Strong campaign
The wildfires running rampant throughout Southern California are a tragedy that is affecting thousands throughout the area. Many homes, schools, and plenty of other buildings are no more, and even the sports teams have been affected as the Lakers have seen their last two games postponed while the Los Angeles Rams’ playoff game has been moved to Glendale, Arizona.
Now is a time when the entire area is coming together to help with relief and support, and every Los Angeles area sports team has gotten involved with Fanatics to do their part. The Lakers are one of 16 sports teams involved in the “L.A. Strong” merchandise collection in which all proceeds will be donated.
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