Los Angeles is facing a devastating week as wildfires rage across the city, particularly ravaging the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Lakers coach J.J. Redick, a resident of the area, is confronting the aftermath of the disaster firsthand.
A Community in Flames
“Everything is devastated, everything is destroyed.”
During a Lakers practice earlier today, world of basketball met the harsh reality of wildfires as J.J. Redick struggled to hold back his emotions while discussing the catastrophic events in Los Angeles. He, like countless others, lost his home this week, and the impact is etched deeply on his face.
“I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared to see what I saw. […] I drove through much of the Pacific Palisades, and everything is gone. You can’t prepare for something of this scale. Our home went up in smoke.”
More than Just Property
Overcome with emotion, J.J. Redick opened up about the fires devastating Los Angeles and the personal toll of losing his home.
🙏🙏
— Nico TrashTalk 🏀 (@nicolasmeichel) January 10, 2025
For Redick, the fire took not just belongings of material significance but also irreplaceable memories. The emotional scars run deep, and what’s been lost is far more than just bricks and mortar.
“Everything we owned, everything that was important to us after twenty years together as a couple and ten years as parents, was in that house. Some things can be replaced, but others can never be replicated. My son created an art project last year in Brooklyn; it was framed above the stairs. You can never replace that kind of stuff. Losing your home is something you wouldn’t wish upon anyone; it’s a horrible feeling.”
Rallying a Community
While the devastation is overwhelming on a personal level, there’s a collective pain shared within the Pacific Palisades community. After relocating across the country this summer to coach the Lakers, Redick and his family quickly integrated themselves into this neighborhood that has now lost homes, schools, shops, and community gathering spots like the Palisades Recreation Center.
“The Rec Center was a place we visited daily. Flag football, basketball, playgrounds, tennis, baseball. Everyone we knew went there every day. It hurts to lose all of that.” – J.J. Redick
This is what’s left of the Pacific Palisades. The mall survived. Most everything else is gone. Homes, apartment complexes… businesses. pic.twitter.com/Vfz721V48J
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025
Time to Step Up
Determined to roll up his sleeves and help rebuild the Pacific Palisades, J.J. Redick knows the path ahead will be steep. He’s committed to supporting those less fortunate, especially those who didn’t have insurance to cover their losses before the fires swept through this week. With natural disaster risks escalating in the City of Angels, many insurance companies have retreated from California in recent years.
Source: J.J. Redick Press Conference
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