JJ Redick Marks One Year Since Wildfire With Push to Rebuild Pacific Palisades Recreation Center
jj-redick-wildfire-anniversary-lakers
Los Angeles — Exactly 12 months after wildfires destroyed nearly 60,000 acres across Southern California and reduced his Pacific Palisades rental home to ashes, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is turning personal loss into a community rebuild.
A painful anniversary
The Lakers landed at LAX shortly after midnight on Jan. 8, 2026, following a road loss in San Antonio. The date mirrored their return from Dallas on Jan. 8, 2025, when Redick first saw flames engulfing the region. Driving up the 405 Freeway this year, the 41-year-old coach said the memory “just kind of hit me.”
Texts from friends referencing the anniversary prompted Redick—who avoids social media during the season—to reinstall Instagram to read wife Chelsea’s post about the fire. Overcome during a coaches’ meeting, he left the room in tears.
From grief to action
Redick formed the charity LA Sports Strong and joined nonprofit Steadfast L.A. to rebuild the Palisades Recreation Center, a hub that once served more than 750 children daily. Plans call for fire-resilient structures and 50,000 square feet of renovated green space protected by fire-resistant landscaping.
On Jan. 8, 2026, a fundraiser at a Palisades residence—featuring Judd Apatow, Jennifer Garner, Ryan Tedder and Adam Sandler—generated “more than double” its target, raising millions toward the project. Sources said nearly $25 million of the center’s $47 million budget is already pledged, with construction permits expected by late January or early February and a projected opening in the first half of 2027.
The night the house burned
When the fire tore through Via Del Paz in 2025, Chelsea and sons Knox, 11, and Kai, 9, had already evacuated. Redick arrived at 3 a.m., still in his coaching attire, then drove to the site after a brief sleep. Navigating blocked roads and smoldering debris, he found only “a pile of ash and rubble.” The family lost everything, including the boys’ prized sports-memorabilia collection.
NBA community steps up
Guard Austin Reaves left autographed jerseys in Redick’s locker for Knox and Kai when practice resumed. Spurs veterans Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama presented game-worn jerseys on Jan. 13, 2025, the night the Lakers returned to the court. Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokić, LeBron James, and the estates of Kobe Bryant and others soon followed, along with Topps and Panini card shipments.
“Excited and thankful,” Kai said of the outpouring; Knox called it “happy and shocked.”
Life amid the recovery
Throughout Pacific Palisades—where hazard signs dot Temescal Canyon Road and rebuilt homes rise alongside empty lots—reminders of destruction remain. The gym where Knox and Kai played warped beyond repair; youth leagues now practice in an auxiliary brick building that survived.
The Redicks spent 10 months in hotels and rentals before buying a new home in Los Angeles. Counting NBA stops, it is their 20th residence. Still, Redick calls the Palisades “magical” and hopes the recreation center will entice displaced families to return.
Looking ahead
Redick believes permits for the center will arrive within weeks, clearing the way for construction. “Whether it’s a church, a school, a rec center,” he said, public spaces give residents “a reason to come back.”
Source: ESPN
