LA fires: Anthony Davis wants Lakers to 'win a championship for the city'

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - In a recent interview with ESPN, Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis opened up about how he was affected by the recent fires and how the devastation further motivated him to win a championship for the city.
In a sit-down interview with ESPN Senior NBA Insider, Shams Charania, Davis shared that his family was evacuated by the Palisades Fire.
On the day the Palisades Fire first erupted on Jan. 7, the Lakers were in Dallas for a game against the Mavericks when Davis received a call from his wife explaining the seriousness of the situation. A short time later, Lakers executive Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick told the players they were there if any families needed to be relocated to a hotel.
It’s at that point where reality hit for Davis.
"So, you’re trying to wrap your head around the safety of your family 20 minutes before a game," he said.
Davis said that after the 118-97 loss, their flight back to Los Angeles was delayed, and the players took to social media for fire updates.
"When we actually were about to land, we saw the fires and everything [we saw] on social media," he said. "We could smell the smoke through the plane. That was pretty crazy."
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Davis admitted he felt similar emotions as to what he felt in 2020 following the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, the coronavirus pandemic and the social justice movement.
Days after the team returned to LA, Davis said he saw flames from one of his windows and knew then it was time to evacuate. Davis, his wife, and their two children stayed in a nearby hotel for nearly a week.
Still, Davis embraced his role as an athlete to uplift the community during a time of anguish.
"Sports can kind of bring joy to any situation, especially something devastating like that," he said.
"We’re the Lakers…the city of LA is looking upon us to bring some type of joy. Even if it’s two hours," Davis shared of their philosophy.
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Davis said he wants to do more to give back to first responders and wants to make a bigger impact.
Now, Davis said that he, along with his teammates, want to win a championship for the city and expressed wanting a championship parade, especially since they were unable to celebrate with the city after winning the title in 2020.
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Other Lakers personnel impacted by the LA wildfires
The morning after the Lakers returned to LA from Dallas, Davis found out head coach JJ Redick’s home was lost in the flames and that some of his daughter’s classmates had lost their homes.
Later that day, Redick gave an emotional interview during practice at the Lakers' facility in El Segundo. Davis said they leaned on Redick’s leadership to navigate the situation.
"We obviously want to give people hope and we want to give, I don't want to say a distraction, maybe an escape," Redick said, as reported by ESPN. "We talked about it as a group before practice. It is our responsibility -- everybody in this building -- to lead on this and to help people."
LeBron James and his family were also evacuated as the Palisades Fire continued to rage.
"Bron was closer to the fires than I was, but it was just tough," the nine-time NBA All-Star recalled about the harrowing experience.
Rohan Ali, a videographer for the Lakers, lost his childhood home in the Eaton Fire. Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt donated to a GoFundMe for the Ali family that’s raised over $90,000.
Davis also said some of his friends lost their homes.
Where do the Lakers stand?
In the interview, Davis also stated he wants the front office to add another big man to the roster and expressed his preference to play the power forward position, instead of center.
The Lakers currently hold the 5th seed in the West. Defensive specialist Jared Vanderbilt is back in the lineup, while the team has also received help on both ends of the floor and undeniable energy from Dorian Finney-Smith, who they acquired in a recent deal with the Brooklyn Nets.