The wildfires that continue to rage in the Los Angeles region forced LeBron James and his family to leave their home.
The four-time NBA champion confirmed to reporters that he has temporarily taken up residence in a hotel that has left him feeling “bad.” James also talked about his emotional state when 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 who have lost their homes in Palisades. Obviously, my heart goes out to all the families not only in (Pacific) Palisades, but throughout Los Angeles County and all surrounding areas due to the fire and things of that nature. There have been many emotions.
“Personally, I’ve been out of line,” he added. “Personally, my family, we’ve been evacuated since Thursday night. So, I’ve been in a hotel since we got back from Dallas. So, I’m just figuring 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 a 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 the Miami Heat on 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 been evacuated due to fires. In 2019, the family abandoned their home after wildfires broke out near the Getty Center in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. James lives in Brentwood.
James provided updates on his social media at the time. He talked about some of the differences between what his family experienced more than five years ago and what they face now.
LeBron James (6) of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a photo with his family at the end of a game, (L-R) Bronny James, Bryce James, Zhuri James Savannah James and Gloria James at Crypto.com Arena on February 7, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Harry How/Getty Images)
“We had that experience and were able to lean on it a little bit,” James said. “The difference between 2019 and today, 2019, was in the middle of the night, so we had to leave immediately. We had a little more time before we had to evacuate, so we were able to get some information.” things, get some belongings or whatever the case may be, get some things that meant things to us.
“But our house has definitely not been touched since the time we left, but it is still standing and we are grateful for that. Hopefully, it will still stand. We just wait patiently when we are granted to return to it and thirst as one below of our house.”
James said his position as a professional athlete comes with a responsibility to give fans and the community at least a brief break from the situation people across the region are facing.
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 that 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 all about. I hope that if we go out on the court and play like we did tonight, not like we played against San Antonio, but the way we that we play tonight and hopefully the next few months or whatever it is, years, until the city gets back up and running, we as a Lakers franchise and the players that play for the Lakers give a sense of hope, pride, excitement and things of that nature.
“Sports have always given people a chance to temporarily forget about whatever they’ve been going through. And we’re such an important part of the Los Angeles community, along with many other sports teams, but we know how important Los Angeles is. Lakers are for the community; I hope we can provide that to many families.”
The NBA postponed the Lakers’ home games on January 9 and 11 due to the wildfires. The Lakers were inactive on Thursday, but will return to action on Friday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.
