Russell Westbrook has sent an emotional message to his hometown of Los Angeles as wildfires continue to rage in the city.
The 36-year-old was born in Long Beach but now plays for the Denver Nuggets, who defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night in Colorado.
But for Westbrook, who scored 19 points in the win, his thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family in California caught up in the devastation.
“My family is safe, but people I know, close friends and family have lost their homes,” he said. “Being from LA, I’ve never seen anything like it.
‘Being able to do nothing is really difficult. It’s going to be a tough rebuild, but LA is very strong and we can stick together and make something happen.
‘The best I can do, this is obviously my job, but go out and try to give people joy and inspiration by going out and playing the game as hard as I can – but also making sure I find ways to help in any way we can.”
Fires across LA have devastated the city; five people were killed and thousands of buildings were destroyed
Denver Nuggets star Russell Westbrook said his friends and family were caught up in the fires
Westbrook attended UCLA and played for both LA NBA teams. From 2021 to 2023, he spent two years with the Lakers and then a season with the Clippers. He left for Denver in 2024.
At least five people have died in the fires, while more than 2,000 buildings have been destroyed.
The Los Angeles Lakers NBA game against the Charlotte Hornets scheduled for Thursday evening at Crypto.Com in LA will not take place, 24 hours after NHL team LA Kings postponed a game at the same venue.
It has also emerged that Lakers coach JJ Redick lost his childhood home to the fires.
The Los Angeles Rams are still hopeful they can host their NFL Playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
But if it is deemed unsafe for the game to proceed at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, it could be moved to Arizona.