Nine-time NBA champion Steve Kerr’s childhood home is reduced to rubble in gut-wrenching photos from LA fire
Heartbreaking photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com reveal the burned remains of nine-time NBA champion Steve Kerr’s childhood home following the devastating Palisades fires on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
The decorated head coach of the Golden State Warriors hasn’t lived in the house since his days at Palisades High. But as he said last week, the family successfully evacuated his 90-year-old mother Ann, the widow of slain American University of Beirut professor Malcolm H. Kerr.
“My mother is in good hands, but her house is gone,” Kerr said last week. “I spent a lot of time on the phone with my brothers and sisters.”
The charming four-bedroom home, valued on Zillow at more than $5 million, was built in 1941 on the edge of Rivas Canyon and Will Rogers State Historic Park – areas devastated by the recent wildfires.
At least 24 people have been killed and more than 90,000 displaced by the wind-driven fires, as authorities continue to warn of the dangers of the current conditions.
Palisades Charter High School suffered “significant damage,” although the main campus building survived the fire. That school system and its 3,000 students are currently on vacation.
The Kerr family home was built in 1941 and was estimated to be worth more than $5 million
The Kerr household is seen in Pacific Palisades before the fire that destroyed the estate
Steve Kerr said his 90-year-old mother Ann (right) was successfully evacuated from her home
Exclusive photos show the complete destruction of the Kerr family home in Pacific Palisades
“That’s my hometown,” Kerr said of Pacific Palisades last week. “All my friends who are from there have pretty much lost their homes – their family homes, their childhood homes. Our high school is gone. The city looks like it has been completely wiped out. It’s surreal and devastating.
‘Luckily almost everyone escaped. But it’s hard to imagine how Pacific Palisades will rebuild and become a thriving community again. It’s just shocking.’
Like many in the area, Kerr’s home was destroyed by the fire, which appeared to burn everything but the brick chimney.
It was there that he grew up with his three siblings before going on to play collegiately in Arizona.
Sadly, Kerr’s father was shot dead by a group linked to Hezbollah while he was teaching in his native Beirut in 1984, when Steve became a star player for the Wildcats.
The 6-foot-1 guard would win three NBA titles with the Bulls and two more with the Spurs as a player before coaching the Warriors to four titles in the Bay Area.
He has also won two Olympic gold medals as a coach and the 1986 FIBA World Championship as a player.
Ann Kerr, professor, Fulbright Enrichment Program Coordinator and mother of Steve Kerr, poses for a portrait on her children’s old rope swing at her home in the Pacific Palisades in October
The remains of a Ford Taurus can be seen outside the property belonging to the Kerrs
The charming four-bedroom home, valued on Zillow at more than $5 million, was built in 1941 on the edge of Rivas Canyon and Will Rogers State Historic Park – two areas affected by the fire
Pacific Palisades borders Malibu, about 20 miles west of downtown LA.
It includes hill streets with tightly packed homes along winding roads nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and extends to beaches along the Pacific Ocean.
“Everything I see and read is just terrifying what’s happening down there,” Kerr said last week.
‘I just want to send thoughts to everyone experiencing the devastating effects of the fire. The game is obviously secondary to that and many things in life. Perspective is important.’
While the NFL made the decision to move the Los Angeles Rams to Glendale, Arizona for their Wild Card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers hosted home games on Monday night.
At the newly opened Intuit Dome in the city of Inglewood, the Clippers hosted the Miami Heat in their first game at home after the fires started. The NBA had previously postponed a home game against the Charlotte Hornets due to the disaster.
Before the game started, Clippers public address announcer Eric Smith gave a moving speech.
“Our city has suffered unfathomable devastation,” Smith told the gathered fans. “Homes have been destroyed, businesses and lives have been lost and communities have been changed forever.
“We are so grateful for the first responders, but we sympathize with the victims. We mourn more than just belongings, photos, memories, memories that connect families and generations. Once vibrant and historic neighborhoods were empty and evacuated.
“But the smoke will clear and they will return and rebuild. Because this is LA and today we all stand together: one team, one Los Angeles.”
A Los Angeles Clippers fan holds up an “LA Strong” shirt during a Clippers-Heat game on Monday
The speech drew cheers from the sparsely attended audience just before the national anthem played.
Players wore t-shirts on the benches and during warmups that read “LA Strong” with a blue outline of the state.
Across town in downtown LA, the Lakers hosted the San Antonio Spurs in a game that was initially postponed until Saturday. Like the Clippers, the Lakers also had a game against the Hornets postponed.
The team held a moment of silence and dedicated the game to first responders on a night when the franchise also retired Lakers legend Michael Cooper’s jersey.
Like the Clippers, the Lakers also wore special shirts during warmups and on the bench – with a yellow firefighter’s cross and the Lakers’ “L” logo in the center with the words “Thank You First Responders.”
Members of both teams were affected by the bushfires, which are still raging through the city and surrounding suburbs.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard announced last week that he would be taking some time away from the team after his family was forced to evacuate from the Palisades Fire. Leonard played in Monday’s game – a 109-98 win.