Nearly 200,000 residents of Los Angeles needed to be evacuated. Homes burned down and there remains an unsettling panic among those who watched the wildfires’ impact. Even though Paul George left his hometown this season, his connection with the community remains strong. Notably, the Philadelphia 76ers’ forward still has a property in Palisades, one of the areas heavily affected. And on his recent podcast episode, PG13 detailed his feelings.

Being away from the area, George admitted to being consumed by the thoughts of those affected by the wildfires. It included his friends, who personally shared the scenes from their houses. As some of them lost their precious belongings to the calamity, a horror thought kept swirling in George’s mind.

“I know people that have lost their homes in Palisades area personally. It’s tough, it’s tough. I haven’t really slept in the past two days just because of stuff that is going on and then this going on and worried about the fires, the families affected and you know ‘Is it going to reach my crib?’. Like you said what do you say to people man my crib is done. They sending me videos of the ire literally in their backyard,” George said on his podcast.

Accuweather’s Jonathan Porter termed it to be “the worst wildfire in modern California history based on the number of structures burned and economic loss”. The wealthy community in Palisades has been subject to some of the worst damage. It has wiped out nearly 23,000 acres of land.

Similarly, Paul George’s concern for his friends and his own home is understandable. However, he also expressed immense gratitude to the firefighters who are dedicating their days to battling the fires across California.

“Just want to give a shoutout to the first responders. The firefighters that are out there trying to fight for us giving everything they have to the LA community trying to stop these wildfires. We appreciate you guys. All the service is not going unnoticed. I know you guys don’t get told thank you enough but we appreciate you guys out there,” he said on Podcast P.

Paul George is not the only one worrying

The Palisade wildfires still remain active. Only 13% of the fires are contained thus far according to BBC. Hence, the distress continues to persist. For Paul George, who is over 2000 miles away, he can’t directly check on his friends in California. However, for his good friend Kawhi Leonard, the situation was different.

Like Paul George, Leonard too purchased his Palisades home in 2021 upon joining the Los Angeles Clippers. The fear of the fire spreading lingered within him. With the Klaw’s family also evacuating, he made a major decision to support them. Leonard missed the game against the Nuggets as he flew back home.

The two-time Finals MVP decided to remain with his family to be present in these stressful times. Recently, Ty Lue, the Clippers’ head coach did provide an update. He was fully supportive of Kawhi Leonard choosing to stick by his family. Moreover, he also came with good news before the Clippers return to play in the Intuit Dome for the first time since the wildfires broke out.

“He’s been good. Tough situation for him and things he had to go through with his family and his house situation. We’re here to support him. Not only Kawhi, but everyone in the community that needed the help. We’re going to help and support,” Lue said about the star players absence.

According to reports, Leonard’s house remains safe so far, just like Paul George’s. However, his decision to stay with his family was likely the best choice, given the current unrest and uncertainty surrounding the fires.