The raging fires in Los Angeles continue to burn, with ten deaths and tens of billions of dollars of damage reported so far.
At least 10,000 homes have been destroyed this week, local officials have said.
With the fires burning in several affluent areas, celebrities from sports and entertainment have said their homes were destroyed.
Speaking before Thursday’s Warriors-Pistons game, Golden State coach Steve Kerr said his childhood home in Pacific Palisades burned down, but his 90-year-old mother, Ann, is safe.
“That’s my hometown,” Kerr said. “And all my friends who are from there, pretty much, they’ve all lost their homes, their family homes, childhood homes. … The town looks like it’s just been completely wiped out. It’s surreal and devastating, but fortunately, most, almost everyone escaped. … But it’s hard to even fathom how Pacific Palisades rebuilds and how it becomes a thriving community again. It’s just shocking.”
Kerr said his family had the house for more than 50 years, originally buying it in 1969. He added that his mother tried to save as many things as she could before evacuating.
“I was just there two weeks ago for dinner,” Kerr said. “The night before our game, we just celebrated my mom’s 90th birthday there. This past summer we had a hundred guests up on that hillside and a beautiful night, great memories, and it’s an idyllic place. It’s a beautiful town, sunsets every night, just amazing memories. And my dad taught at UCLA, and so that drive from Pacific Palisades down Sunset Boulevard to the campus at UCLA is what I’ve made a million times, and so many great memories. And then to see the images of Sunset Boulevard in the Palisades, just shocking. It looks apocalyptic and devastating.”
Kerr wasn’t the only NBA coach to lose a home from the fires. Lakers coach JJ Redick’s house in Pacific Palisades—which he was renting, according to ESPN—also burned down. The Lakers’ game against the Hornets on Thursday was postponed as a result of the fires.
Los Angeles is scheduled to host the Spurs on Saturday and Monday, and it’s unclear whether those games will be played as scheduled.
The parents of longtime Lakers videographer Rohan Ali lost their home in Altadena, which led their son to start a GoFundMe to help support them. Lakers star Anthony Davis contributed $20,000, while forward Jarred Vanderbilt donated $4,000 for the efforts.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard had to evacuate his family from their home in the Palisades, causing him to miss a game, but his house was safe as of Wednesday, according to TMZ.
Kerr said Draymond Green’s home in Los Angeles was fine as of Thursday, and video coordinator Everett Dayton’s house was “somewhat intact, by a miracle.”
Olympic swimmer Gary Hall lost his home in the Palisades, and his 10 Olympic medals were “most likely” gone.
Angel City FC’s Ali Riley—a Los Angeles native who grew up in the Palisades—posted on X/Twitter a photo of where her house used to be.
Former LAFC and Mexican national team forward Carlos Vela lost his Malibu home, his wife posted on Instagram.
