“To all those in Southern California, please continue to listen to local authorities and don’t wait, evacuate if asked”. The update by California Governor Gavin Newsom does not fail to highlight the dire situation in Los Angeles, which continues to worsen minute by minute. Six fires are now engulfing the LA County area, with “some of the most historic fire conditions on record” being reported. Currently, over 5 people have lost their lives, 1100 structures are reported as destroyed, and around 130k people are hit by evacuation orders. As the fires continue to spread, NBA legend LeBron James and his family could also become a part of the evacuating group.
X user, Ben Katz, recently posted a video captured during the morning hours in Los Angeles. It highlighted one of the wildfires reaching the Brentwood area, which houses LeBron James’ $23 million mega-mansion. Another netizen highlighted screenshots of the maps which displayed the affected areas, revealing that the Lakers star and his family may have to end up evacuating soon.
The wildfires have already affected several renowned names. The residential home of Vice President Kamala Harris has already been placed under an evacuation order by local authorities. The same was also located in the Brentwood neighborhood.
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Another LA fire Brentwood by LeBron’s house. pic.twitter.com/nIb1unsZ9p
Ben_Katz (@Ben_Katz) January 7, 2025
Lakers HC, JJ Redick, spoke to reporters before the 118-97 loss against the Dallas Mavericks. He revealed, “My family and my wife’s family, my wife’s twin sister, they’ve evacuated”. Warriors boss, Steve Kerr, expressed condolences to those who had been affected by the fires. On a personal note, he added that his mother had been evacuated from her residence in the Pacific Palisades area.
As highlighted by the New York Times and the University of California, the air quality is likely to worsen. An expected change in wind direction may take place in the coming hours. Precautionary steps have already begun. The NHL indefinitely delayed a game between the LA Kings and the Calgary Flames. It was initially scheduled for Wednesday night, at the Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers squad was scheduled to start a four-game home stand, on Thursday, against the Hornets. Meanwhile, the Clippers were scheduled to return from a road trip. They were set to host the Hornets, on Saturday, at the newly constructed $2 Billion Intuit Dome arena, in Inglewood.
While no updates have been given out on the games being postponed or canceled, the worsening situation in Southern California may bring out some official news soon.
LeBron James himself had earlier taken to social media to post his reaction to the natural calamity. As the fires spread to the Pacific Palisades area, he wrote “Praying for everyone in Southern California!!!” Now, it’s him who’ll have to take precautionary measures. The player would know what to do under such circumstances. This isn’t the first time that California Wildfires have affected him.
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LeBron James had to evacuate his $23M mansion in 2019 as the fires raged
5 years ago, 7,860+ fires were recorded to have occurred in California over 7 months. Over 277,285 acres were affected, with 703 structures destroyed. The severity of the fires caused LeBron James, who had joined the Lakers a year ago, to take action. Posting on X, he revealed “Man these LA 🔥 aren’t no joke. Had to emergency evacuate my house and I’ve been driving around with my family trying to get rooms. No luck so far!🤦🏾♂️” He kept posting updates and even gave his “best wishes” to the first responders.
Man these LA 🔥 aren’t no joke. Had to emergency evacuate my house and I’ve been driving around with my family trying to get rooms. No luck so far! 🤦🏾♂️
LeBron James (@KingJames) October 28, 2019
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Any irreparable damage to LeBron James’ Brentwood home would be a big blow. After all, the mansion in itself is a work of art. However, at this time, when people are grappling to reach safe ground, the NBA star’s concern would be to keep his loved ones secure before anything else.
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