The LA Wildfires have force almost 200,000 people to evacuate from the area. It even forced the NBA to postpone the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets leaving the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to not suit up to play.
The league took the decision as basketball was nothing in front of what the residents of Los Angeles were facing. The LA Wildfires have left state departments without enough hands. On top of that, smoke and ash filled the air and health concerns have taken precedence.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has a house in the Pacific Palisades, the area most affected by the fires. It was revealed that the first-year coach lost his house even though he managed to evacuate his family. Redick is rumored to earn nearly $8 million per season with the team and has earned over $100 million in his playing career.
Therefore, it will be relatively easier for him to build a new house than a person earning a much lower salary. One such person who lost his house is Los Angeles Lakers videographer Rohan Ali. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin shared that the Eaton fire burned down Ali’s childhood home in Altadena.
Lakers videographer Rohan Ali, a L.A. native who has covered the team for the better part of a decade, lost his childhood home in Altadena. He is helping his parents through this terrible time https://t.co/OXUdyZWanX
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 10, 2025
Along with the tweet, McMenamin added a link to a gofundme page. It was set up by Rohan Ali as a plea to help his parents gather funds to rebuild their house. Thankfully for the Ali’s, the page has garnered more than 260 donations so far.
Anthony Davis leads donations with $20,000
The gofundme page started by Rohan Ali has a goal set at $80,000. Even though he has asked donators to start with $1515, many have spared what they could. As of now, the page has garnered a little over half the required amount.
However, when looking at the top donators, the most anyone has donated is $20,000. That amount came from Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis. The nine-time All Star led the line with the most generous amount of all.
Top 2 donations pic.twitter.com/IhSvs1mJek
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) January 10, 2025
His teammate Jarred Vanderbilt chimed in with $4,000 of his own. At a time when people are trying to rebuild what they lost, these donations will go a long way. With several such rebuilding efforts underway, the Lakers stars helping one of their own was a heartwarming gesture.
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