Lakers Stars Reflect on Need to 'Give Strength' to Los Angeles Amid Wildfire Tragedy

The Lakers have been trying to be a beacon of hope for the fire-ravaged community.

January 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) reaches for the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers have gone through a lot in the last couple of weeks as a basketball team. As the terrible wildfires rage on in L.A., they have had a few games postponed.

Away from the basketball court, they have had much bigger issues to deal with. Head coach JJ Redick was one of the thousands of people to lose his home in one of the terrible fires.

All of the Lakers are acutely aware that they are going to be looked at as a symbol of strength and hope for the rest of the season. They know they are going to be a welcome distraction for fans in the next few weeks.

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Anthony Davis acknowledged that exact need in the Lakers' first game back since the wildfires against the Spurs a couple of days ago.

“Win, lose, draw, this game is over and everything’s still going on in the world,” Davis said. “Bittersweet in a sense because we still have people who are dealing with real-life situations and we get to go out here and play basketball.”

The Lakers did lose that game to the Spurs but were able to beat the Heat on Wednesday. That was the first win they've gotten since the tragic events started.

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Davis and the rest of the Lakers are going to have some extra motivation to win games this season. They are going to be carrying the hopes of the people of Los Angeles with them.

The Lakers are hoping to stack up some wins with a very light three-game stretch coming up.

Here are some resources if you wish to make a donation or want more information regarding the wildfires:

• California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
  
• Eaton Fire
• Palisades Fire
• L.A. County Fire Department

• L.A. County Government

• Watch Duty
  Watch Duty organizes information on a map of the U.S., which is dotted with flame icons representing active wildfires

• Genasys Protect
  Genasys Protect is a citizen site and app. Officials in your community use Genasys Protect to share safety information and instructions with you during emergencies.

• To help, click here to donate to the California Fire Foundation.
• Click here to donate to the Salvation Army for fire relief efforts.

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