As the Palisades Fire wreaks havoc on Los Angeles County, the childhood home of Warriors coach Steve Kerr is one of the countless structures destroyed so far.
The house in Pacific Palisades where Kerr's mother, Ann Kerr, still resides was "tragically burned" in the fire, she said in a text message to the San Francisco Chronicle's Ron Kroichick on Wednesday. The message was a group text "in response to friends and acquaintances who had reached out to check on her safety," per Kroichick, after Ann, 90, was forced to evacuate Tuesday.
Ann also wrote in the text that she is staying with friends and “heartened by all your loving messages.”
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Kerr's family bought the home the year he turned 4 years old in 1969, per Kroichick, who visited Ann there in October to write a feature on her life and work.
In the photos from the feature, a small Dub Nation flag is seen among Ann's collection of fine porcelain dishes displayed in a hutch. In another, Ann sits on a rope swing in the yard amongst the greenery, a picket fence behind her in front of the home where Kerr spent much of his childhood.
“I want to send my thoughts and condolences to everybody in Los Angeles dealing with the fires,” Kerr told reporters Tuesday after the Warriors' 114-98 loss to the Miami Heat. “My mom lives in Pacific Palisades. She had to evacuate. ...
“Everything I'm seeing and reading is just terrifying what's happening down there. So just want to send thoughts to everyone who's going through the devastation of the fire. Obviously, the game is secondary to that and to many things in life. Perspective is important.”
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In addition to Kerr's mother Ann, Warriors employee Everett Dayton, a team staffer in the player development department, lost his family home due to the fire.
More than 1,100 buildings have burned and at least five people are dead in three wildfires burning across L.A. County as of Wednesday afternoon, including the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire and Hurst Fire. And the impact has been felt in professional sports, too.
The NHL on Wednesday cancelled a scheduled game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames due to the disaster, and the NBA is monitoring the situation ahead of Thursday night's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena. The NFL has a contingency plan in place for Monday night's playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, and will play the game at State Farm Stadium in Arizona if needed.
As the Warriors embark on a four-game road trip to the Midwest this week, however, the devastation is a reminder that life is bigger than basketball.