Sixers’ Paul George opens up about the Los Angeles wildfires: ‘I haven’t really slept in the past two days’
“Give nothing but love and a ton of support to all of the communities out there, whether it’s Pasadena, Altadena,” George, a Palmdale native, said on “Podcast P.”
The Los Angeles wildfires have wreaked havoc through thousands of structures in areas such as Pasadena, Altadena, and the Palisades — destroying community members’ homes and erasing generations of memories from those who once lived in the area, including the memories of Sixers forward Paul George and his cohost Jackie Long.
“It’s been a hard couple days,” said George on Podcast P. “Obviously, I still have my home in Palisades, and so, to be way here and to have friends that are out there and in that area, I know people that have lost their homes in the Palisades area, personally. It’s tough. I haven’t really slept in the past two days just because of stuff that’s been going on and then this going on and being worried about the fires and families affected. And is it going to reach my crib?”
» READ MORE: Los Angeles wildfires hit close to home for Sixers with ties to area: ‘I’m just praying, praying for the city’
The L.A. fires began to spread across the area last week — two of the largest fires are in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton fire in Pasadena and Altadena. Pasadena native Long wore an Altadena hoodie to show love to the city in the latest podcast episode.
“Altadena, Pasadena is my heart and my soul,” Long said. “No matter where I’m at or what I’m doing, I always represent and talk about my city. My city is not my city right now. It’s burning down. My memories that I had are gone.”
George had his own fair share of memories in Southern California — he grew up in Palmdale and spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers before joining the Sixers last summer.
“Give nothing but love and a ton of support to all of the communities out there, whether it’s Pasadena, Altadena,” George said. “I know there’s a fire out in Hollywood, Palisades. Just want to give a shoutout to the first responders, firefighters that are out there trying to fight and support and giving everything they have to the L.A. community to try to stop these wildfires. We appreciate you guys.”