Lakers coach JJ Redick gives emotional account of losing home to wildfire: 'It's total devastation'
Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick was one of the many people who lost their homes due to the wildfires raging in Los Angeles.
A day after the NBA postponed the Lakers game scheduled for Thursday, Redick spoke to reporters about the experience of losing the house his family has lived in since he took his job last year, in a video via reporter Mark Medina. The house was located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which almost burned down.
Redick wasn't on the Lakers' road trip when the fire started in the Palisades, but his wife Chelsea got their babysitter out of the house, found a hotel and took their children out of school. Redick returned to Los Angeles early Wednesday morning and chose to survey the damage after a few hours of sleep
“I had to see for myself. I was not prepared for what I saw. Complete destruction and destruction. I had to go another way to the house, but I passed a large village and it was all gone. I don't think you can ever prepare for something like that in our home.
“Look, we've been renting for a year to try to figure out where we want to live long-term with everything we have, which has been important to us for almost 20 years together as a couple and 10 years of raising children. There are some things that you can't change, that can never be changed, and it's really weird that my son did an art project last year at Saint Ann's in Brooklyn and it was like he threw away a pencil drawing of a lighthouse that was hanging above the stairs and you can't change things like that.”
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr is one of the victims of the fire, as his childhood home burned down. Redick noted several other Lakers employees and their families also lived in the area.
The Palisades fire has grown to more than 20,000 acres and displaced thousands of people, with several confirmed deaths. It is contained by 8%, as of Friday afternoon.
Redick said he was deeply saddened by the loss of the community his family quickly found in Pacific Palisades:
“I went back to the hotel and my wife and I are worried. I'm not sure if I've cried or cried like that in a few years. [Chelsea] he said to me, 'I was very reluctant to move here. I was very skeptical about him going into training. I've never loved living anywhere else more than I love Brooklyn and I've never loved a community more than I had in Brooklyn.' And then, it's like, coming out of here, the Palisades community has just treated us so well and that's the part of us that we're struggling with, just losing the community.
“I see that people are building a community and we are going to rebuild and we want to help lead that, but all the churches, schools, the library, everything is gone.
He also promised to help people who are not in a financial situation, unlike his family:
“I don't want people to feel sorry for me and my family. We will be fine. There are people because of political problems and other insurance issues. We will do everything we can to help any person who is down and out because of this.”
The effects of the wildfire are still emerging and may continue for the next few days, as the winds it created are expected to continue into the weekend. The Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers both have home games scheduled for the weekend and Monday, which may require an NBA takeover.
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