Forest fires that continue wreaking havoc in the Los Angeles region forced LeBron James and his family to flee their home.
Quadruple NBA champion he confirmed to the press that he has temporarily taken up residence in a hotel that makes him feel “excluded”. James also opened up about his emotional state when he found out that some of his friends had lost their homes.
“There was a lot of emotion,” James said at the press conference. “I have some dear friends who lost their homes in the Palisades. Obviously, my heart goes out to all the families all over the (Pacific) Palisades, but all over LA County and all the surrounding areas because of the fire and things like that. It’s been a lot of emotions.
“Personally, I was turned off,” he added. “Personally, my family, we’ve been evacuated since Thursday night. So, I’ve been in a hotel almost since we got back from Dallas. So, we just figured it out. But staying strong for each other. Obviously, that’s the most important thing.”
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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on January 13, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
James spoke after the Lakers’ 117-108 victory over Miami Heat Wednesday. James (40) finished the game with 22 points and nine assists.
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This is not the first time the James family has evacuated due to fire. In 2019, the family fled their home after fires broke out near the Getty Center in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. James lives in Brentwood.
James gave an update on his social media feed at that time. He talked about some of the differences between what his family went through more than five years ago and what they’re dealing with now.
Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (6) poses for a picture with his family after the game, (L-R) Bronny James, Bryce James, Zhuri James Savannah James and Gloria James at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 7, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Harry How/Getty Images)
“We had that experience and we were able to lean on it a little bit,” James said. “The difference between ’19 and today, that ’19 was in the middle of the night so we had to go right away. We had a little bit more time before we had to evacuate, so we were able to get things, get some things or whatever , get some things that meant something to us.
“But our home definitely hasn’t been touched since we left, but it’s still standing and we’re grateful for that. We hope it will continue to stand. We’re just patiently waiting for the approval to eventually go back into it and be as one under our home.”
James said his position as a professional athlete comes with a responsibility to give fans and the community at least a brief respite from the situation facing people across the region.
Residents try to escape a house fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“It’s definitely our job to know we still have work to do,” James said. “We have to focus on our job, but also continue to be human beings and understand what real life is. I hope that by going out on the floor and (by) playing the way we played tonight – not the way we are played against San Antonio — but the way we played tonight and hopefully for the next few months or whatever it is, years, until the city comes back, that as a Lakers franchise and the players who play for the Lakers gives me a sense of hope and pride and excitement and things of that nature.
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“Sports have always given people a chance to kind of just temporarily forget about whatever they might be going through. And we as a big part of the LA community — along with a lot of other sports teams, but we know how important the Lakers are to the community — we hope that we can provide this to many families.”
The NBA postponed the Lakers’ home games on January 9 and 11 due to forest fires. The Lakers were quiet on Thursday, but return to action on Friday when they host Brooklyn Nets.
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