The NBA has officially announced that a second straight game for the Los Angeles Lakers has been postponed due to the ongoing wildfires across the city. The Lakers were scheduled to return to the basketball floor on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, playing host to superstar Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, but that will be pushed to a later date.
The league announced the postponement on Friday night. The Los Angeles Clippers’ game against the Charlotte Hornets, whom the Lakers were initially supposed to face on Thursday at Crypto, was also postponed.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/5cIz1BUFt7
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 11, 2025
The devastation in Los Angeles could be described as apocalyptic, with the wildfires burning for four days heading into Friday night, resulting in nearly 200,000 evacuations and over 1,000 homes in ashes, including Lakers head coach JJ Redick. The first-time head coach is one of the many who had their families displaced in these fires, which have been destroying homes and businesses at a historic rate.
Even though Redick’s world was turned upside down, the Lakers’ leader on the sidelines wanted to play on Saturday against the Spurs. He expressed his desire to return to work after practice on Friday, but that won’t happen after this latest development.
There’s no telling when the devastation in Los Angeles will end or the team will return to work on the basketball court. The Lakers’ next game is tentatively scheduled for Monday, when they’ll host the Spurs. This would have been their second consecutive game against San Antonio in Los Angeles.
If the game against the Spurs is postponed on Monday, the Lakers’ next game will be on Wednesday, Jan. 15, when they will play host to the Miami Heat at Crypto.
JJ Redick opens up about losing home Los Angeles wildfires
After Thursday’s practice, Redick addressed the media for the first time since losing his home to the wildfires. Redick was emotional during this media session, as he had to fight back the tears while talking about how his family had been uprooted and all the devastation in his community.
Despite all he and his family have been through, Redick was all for playing against the Spurs on Saturday. However, the game was postponed, and the next game is tentatively set to be against San Antonio on Monday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
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