San Antonio Spurs stars Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama offered a kind gesture to the sons of Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick on Monday.
San Antonio Spurs stars Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama made a kind gesture amid the NBA’s return to Los Angeles on Monday for the first time since the wildfires hit the area last week.
Paul and Wembanyma
gave their game-worn jerseys to the sons of Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, Kai and Knox, after a
126–102 victory for the Spurs at the Staples Center. Redick’s home was one of the many recently destroyed in the wildfires, and Paul had a prior connection with Redick for their time together with the Los Angeles Clippers between 2013 and 2017.
“You play a lot of years in this league and some guys are just teammates, but JJ is part of my family,” Paul
told reporters after the game. “So, him and his wife, those kids—Knox and Kai—I know a lot of people lost family members, homes, stuff like that. It hits different when the people are close to you.
“So me and JJ are ultimate competitors. As close as we are, we hate to lose, win, or whatnot. But I actually told him today that I wanted to do that for his boys. I know how big of basketball fans they are. It’s a tough situation.”
Wembanyama, a second-year player and considered one of the top young stars in the game, welcomed the opportunity to do a kind act for the boys.
“Chris asked me earlier if it was okay for me to do that,” Wembanyama
told reporters afterward. “I didn’t know they were huge fans like this, but JJ is a person I like, and [who] was directly impacted by this. If I can make those kids’ day, I’ll do it.”
Redick received word of the plans before Monday’s game, he said
in the postgame press conference. It meant all the more because his sons lost all of their basketball memorabilia in the fire.
“I ran a podcast out of my home for two years,” Redick said. “All the players would come through and they'd get either a jersey or a card signed. And they had a collection of jerseys and cards. And they lost all that. It was nice of them to do it.
“They now each have two because Austin (Reaves) was nice enough to leave a couple for them in his locker after practice the other day. I appreciate all the love. And not surprised Chris did something like that.”
