The deadly wildfires that firefighters continued to battle Thursday in Southern California have created nightmarish scenes and anguish as more than 100,000 people in the region have been forced to flee their homes. There are at least five active fires in Los Angeles County and the ongoing struggle to contain the flames has inflicted significant damage.
At least five people are dead and thousands of homes, businesses and even iconic Hollywood landmarks are either threatened, damaged or already destroyed by what Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called a “firestorm” during a late Wednesday night briefing. Authorities warned more injuries and death are possible until the fires can be contained.
Given the danger still facing Southern California, and the emergency personnel and resources required to combat the wildfires, the local professional and college sports teams are also making alternative scheduling plans. The NHL already postponed the Los Angeles Kings game Wednesday night and the NFL may move the Los Angeles Rams’ Monday night playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings away from SoFi Stadium if it’s deemed necessary.
Here are more updates on how the Los Angeles fires are impacting the sports world:
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The NBA announced that Thursday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets, scheduled to take place at the Crypto.com Center in Los Angeles, has been postponed due to the ongoing wildfires in the area. The date for the rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.
“The entire NBA family sends its thoughts and support to the community of Los Angeles during this challenging time,” the NBA statement read. “We are grateful for the thousands of local firefighters and first responders who have demonstrated enormous bravery. Our prayers remain with those affected by the unimaginable devastation caused by the wildfires.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick revealed earlier this week that he lives in the Palisades community impacted greatly by the wildfires and that his family were among those evacuated from their homes. Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr also said Tuesday night that his 90-year-old mother was forced to evacuate as well.
The Los Angeles Rams reiterated in a statement released Thursday that the team is still planning to hold its NFL playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings as scheduled on Monday night. The game, part of the league’s wild-card weekend, is slated to be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, not far from where multiple deadly wildfires continue to cause damage to the Los Angeles area.
The Rams confirmed that the NFL’s contingency plan is to move the playoff game to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona if it’s deemed unsafe to play at SoFi Stadium on Monday.
“That is currently only a contingency plan and if that happens we will inform all ticket holders via email what that means for their current tickets,” the Rams emphasized in their statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and remain in contact with local officials, the NFL and NFLPA. We hope you all are somewhere safe and we hope to see you Monday night.”
Gary Hall Jr. said the wildfires still raging across the Los Angeles area came so quickly that he had to leave all 10 of his Olympic medals behind. The home he was renting in Pacific Palisades, California, and using as the base for his business was consumed by the fire, destroying almost all his possessions, Hall Jr. told the Sydney Herald.
“I did think about the medals. I did not have time to get them,” Hall Jr. said. “Everyone wants to know did the medals burn? Yeah, everything burnt. It’s something I can live without. I guess everything is just stuff. It’ll take some hard work to start over. What can you do?”
Hall won back-to-back gold medals in the men’s 50-meter freestyle at the 2000 (Sydney) and 2004 (Athens) Olympics. He also won three golds as a member of Team USA’s relay teams in 1996 (Atlanta). In addition, he won three silvers and two bronzes during his Olympic career.
Read more about a scene Hall called “worse than any apocalypse movie you’ve ever seen.”
The NFL is ready to move the wild-card playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings if it can’t be safely played on Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The league said in a statement Wednesday it is still preparing to play at the Rams’ home stadium, but there are contingency plans in place to shift the game to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, if necessary due to the destructive wildfires active in the region.
“The NFL’s priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community. We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the first responders. Our hearts are with Los Angeles and everyone affected by the fires,” the statement read, in part. “We will continue to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with public officials, both clubs and the NFLPA.”
One of the country’s most historic golf courses, Riviera Country Club, is squarely in the fire’s path. The home of the Genesis Invitational was moved into a mandatory evacuation zone with the blaze unable to be contained yet. The club is set to host its PGA Tour event from Feb. 13-16. The Genesis is considered one of the Tour’s signature events.
The video below shows how close the fires are to Riviera. Here’s more on the potential impact from Golf Week.
Los Angeles Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard has stepped away from the team in order to help members of his family who were forced to evacuate due to the Southern California wildfires, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Leonard — who reportedly purchased a home in the hard-hit Pacific Palisades area in 2021 — will miss the Clippers’ Wednesday night contest in Denver, and it is unclear when he will return to the team.
The Los Angeles Kings’ game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night was postponed, the NHL announced.
“In light of the devastating effects of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, tonight’s game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena, NHL Game No. 653, has been postponed,” the NHL said in a statement issued Wednesday. “The thoughts of the entire NHL family are with the Kings, hockey fans and the people of the Los Angeles area during this difficult time.”
The league added that a makeup date will be announced as soon as it can be confirmed.
USA Today reporters Steve Gardner and Scooby Axson contributed to this story
