The wildfires that continue to wreak havoc on the Los Angeles region forced LeBron James and his family to leave their home.
The four-time NBA champion confirmed to reporters he has taken up temporary residence in a hotel that has left him feeling “off.”
James also opened up about his emotional state as he learned that some of his friends lost their homes.
“There’s been a lot of emotions,” James said during a news conference. “I have a couple of dear friends that have lost their homes in the Palisades. Obviously, my heart goes out to all of the families all across not only the (Pacific) Palisades but all across LA County and all the surrounding areas because of the fire and things of that nature. It’s been a lot of emotions.
“Personally, I’ve been off,” he added. “Personally, my family, we’ve been evacuated since Thursday night. So, I’ve been in a hotel since pretty much when we got back from Dallas. So, just figuring it out. But staying strong for one another. Obviously, that’s most important.”
James spoke after the Lakers’ 117-108 victory over the Miami Heat Wednesday. James, 40, finished the game with 22 points and nine assists.
This is not the first time the James family has evacuated due to fires. In 2019, the family left their home after brush fires broke out near the Getty Center in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. James lives in Brentwood.
James provided updates on his social media feed at the time. He spoke about some of the differences between what his family experienced more than five years ago and what they are contending with now.
“We had that experience and was able to lean on that a little bit,” James said. “The difference between ’19 and today, the one in ’19 was in the middle of the night so we had to get going right away. We had a little bit more time before we had to evacuate, so we were able to get some things, get some belongings or whatever the case may be, get some things that meant things to us.
“But our home has definitely not been touched since the moment we left, but it’s still standing and we’re grateful for that. Hopefully, it continues to stand. Just waiting patiently when we’ll be granted to possibly go back to it and be as one under our home.”
James said his position as a pro athlete comes with the responsibility of providing fans and the community with at least a brief break from the situation people across the region are facing.
Stay up to date with the NYP’s coverage of the terrifying LA-area fires
“It’s definitely our job to know that we still have a job to do,” James said. “We got to focus on our job but also still be human beings and understanding what real life is all about, too. I hope that by us going on the floor and (by) us playing the way we played tonight — not the way we played against San Antonio — but the way we played tonight and hopefully the next few months or whatever it is, years, until the city is back up, that we as a Lakers franchise and the players that are playing for the Lakers give a sense of hope and pride and excitement and things of that nature.
“Sports has always given people an opportunity to kind of just temporarily forget about whatever they may have been going through. And us being such a big part of the LA community — along with a lot of other sports teams, but we know how important the Lakers is to the community — hopefully we can provide that to a lot of families.”
The NBA postponed the Lakers’ home games on Jan. 9 and Jan. 11 due to the wildfires. The Lakers were idle on Thursday but return to action Friday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.
