NBA Postpones Lakers’ Game Amid Ongoing Wildfires in Greater Los Angeles Area

• The Los Angeles Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets has been postponed due to several major wildfires burning across the region.
• This marks the second consecutive day a Los Angeles-based game has been delayed due to fire threats.
• Three significant fires have been burning in the Los Angeles metro area following strong winds, with about 180,000 people under evacuation orders.
• Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard left the team before their Denver game due to personal reasons related to his home in the fire-threatened Pacific Palisades.
• Other local events, including Pepperdine’s women’s basketball game, have also been postponed or canceled.

The NBA has postponed the Los Angeles Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday as several wildfires continue to ravage areas across the greater Los Angeles region. This is the second consecutive day a game in downtown Los Angeles has been postponed due to the fires, which have consumed about 45 square miles and forced 180,000 people to evacuate.

Kawhi Leonard, star player for the Los Angeles Clippers, left the team before their game in Denver on Wednesday to check on his family and home in the fire-threatened Pacific Palisades area, an area heavily impacted by the flames. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue expressed full support for Leonard’s decision to prioritize his family’s safety.

Additionally, the Pepperdine women’s basketball team also postponed their game against the University of Portland, as the Malibu campus faced significant disruptions due to the fires. Classes at Pepperdine were canceled, and access to the campus was restricted.

As the fires continue to burn, the NBA and other organizations will reschedule games once it is safe to do so.