Three major Los Angeles sports teams have paid tribute to first responders and offered solace to fans as they returned to action in the fire-ravaged city.
The Los Angeles Rams reached the second round of the NFL playoffs, while the Lakers and Clippers played their NBA games on Monday.
“Sports are a lot of things and sports can certainly provide an escape and a distraction,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick, who lost the home he shared with his wife and two sons when the Palisades fire erupted last week.
“Hopefully sports tonight can provide some joy as well,” Redick said.
More than 90,000 people remained displaced as of Monday, seven days after multiple wind-driven blazes erupted.
At least 24 people have been killed and thousands left without homes, and authorities warned that winds forecast to intensify again on Tuesday could lead to “extreme fire behaviour and life-threatening conditions.”
Two Lakers games and one Clippers game had been postponed before Monday’s contests went ahead, and both teams dedicated the night to the community and first responders.
The Lakers fell to the San Antonio Spurs 126-102 at their Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA while the Clippers beat the Miami Heat 109-98 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood several kilometres south.
Meanwhile, the Rams dominated the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 in an NFL wild-card round playoff game relocated to Glendale, Arizona, because of the fires.
The Arizona Cardinals’ home stadium was transformed with the colours and logos of the Rams. The team chartered a convoy of buses to bring fans from Los Angeles, with people turning up at SoFi Stadium before dawn to start the six-hour trip.
Fans brandished flags and signs thanking firefighters, and Rachel Platten performed her anthemic “Fight Song” in a pre-game ceremony.
The song celebrating resilience fit the “LA Strong” message sent on Monday by the city’s beloved teams.
Earlier in the day, a dozen Los Angeles pro clubs pledged $8m towards wildfire relief and outlined plans for three events to distribute supplies to those affected by blazes still ravaging the second-largest city of the United States.
In addition to that concrete support, quarterback Matthew Stafford said the Rams hoped to provide a little emotional uplift as well.
“We knew what we were playing for,” he said. “It’s a tough time to be back [in Los Angeles]. We’re just happy that we came out and played like this tonight to get [the fans] something to be happy about.”
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he hoped his team’s game could “bring some smiles to some faces”, although he acknowledged that “once these games are over it’s still back to real life”.
Veteran James Harden, a Los Angeles native, scored 21 of his 26 points in the second half to fuel a Clippers comeback and after the game leaned in to the “LA Strong” theme.
“We’re going through some tough times right now,” Harden said. “Something we’ve never seen before. So it’s very, very powerful for us to stand together … as one we can stand together and get through it.”
Spurs veteran Chris Paul, a former Clipper whose family had to evacuate their Los Angeles home, said the uncertainty caused by the fires was hard on the visiting teams, too.
“But I think us, along with the Lakers probably, were just excited to get a chance to hoop,” said Paul, who was a teammate of Redick when both were with the Clippers.
He and Victor Wembanyama gave jerseys to Redick’s young sons after the game.
Lakers star Anthony Davis was only sorry that the Lakers could not come up with a victory.
“One thing we found out during the course of COVID [pandemic] is sports kind of brings joy back to people, even if it’s temporary,” Davis said.
“We were eager to play basketball again in front of our fans – it sucks that we weren’t able to get the win.”
