LeBron James hopes the Lakers can provide a nice distraction for residents trying to come to grips with the tragic wildfires that have caused at least 25 deaths and left many more homeless in the Los Angeles area.
The Lakers legend spoke to the media about the wildfires for the first time Wednesday night after the team’s 117-108 win over the visiting Miami Heat.
“We still have a job to do, we have to focus on our job but also still be a human being and understanding what real life is all about, too,” said James, who had 22 points, nine assists and five rebounds in the win.
“I hope that by us going on the floor and us playing the way we played tonight … and hopefully in the next few months or … years until the city is back up, we as the Lakers franchise and the players that are going to be playing for the Lakers give hope and pride and excitement and things of that nature.
“Sports has always given people an opportunity to kind of like temporarily forget about whatever they may be going through. Us being such a big part of the L.A. community, along with a lot of other sports teams, but we know how important the Lakers are to the community and hopefully we can provide that for a lot of fans.”
Wednesday marked the Lakers’ first win since they had two games postponed last week. They returned to the court Monday at home and lost to San Antonio.
There was a heartwarming moment in Wednesday’s game when a young girl seated courtside got very emotional as James made his way toward her. Television cameras caught the scene and James said a family friend sent him the clip at halftime.
James made a point of going to the girl after the game to take a picture with her.
“To have that type of connection with someone where they can have that type of reaction, I think that’s what it’s all about. … That was a super dope moment,” he said.
“… I think it will be something hopefully she will never forget. … Hopefully she brags about it in school. She’s got the upper hand on all her classmates that might have said some bad thing about her in the past. They can’t say nothing about her now.”
