LOS ANGELES (AP) — Knox and Kai Redick are two basketball-obsessed kids who had amassed a big collection of NBA jerseys, trading cards and autographs thanks to their dad’s careers as a shooting guard, a podcaster and the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Redick boys then lost their entire memorabilia collection in the catastrophic wildfires that burned down their family home and much of their neighborhood in Pacific Palisades last week.
After the San Antonio Spurs beat JJ Redick’s Lakers on Monday night, Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul sought out the Redick boys and presented them with their game jerseys.
“I didn’t know they were huge fans like this, but JJ is a person that I like and who was directly impacted by this,” Wembanyama said. “So if I can make those kids’ day, I’ll do it.”
The gesture put big grins on the faces of two boys who hadn’t felt much like smiling lately.
And though the Lakers lost their first game back at work since catastrophic wildfires killed at least 24 people and destroyed significant sections of their hometown, they’re hoping sports will help their city’s return to normalcy after an awful week.
The Lakers and the Clippers both went back to work Monday night in Los Angeles’ first two NBA games since the fires devastated large parts of the area. The Lakers were beaten by the Spurs 126-102 in their downtown arena, while the Clippers beat the Miami Heat 109-98 in their brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood about 10 miles south of downtown.
Lakers big man Anthony Davis said he had to evacuate his family after the fires got close enough to see from his property.
“Obviously a tough time for our city, and one thing we found out through the course of COVID, sports kind of brings joy back to people, even if it’s temporary,” Davis said. “We were eager to play basketball again in front of our fans. … Definitely a tough situation in LA, and we appreciate everyone’s support from around the world.”
Davis said he hopes to meet personally with first responders to offer thanks, and he’s working on a way to thank them with tickets to a Lakers game.
JJ Redick also was grateful to get back to work.
“I think a group functions best when you draw strength from each other, and the way my players, my staff, the organization has supported, rallied around me, rallied around the city … there’s real strength in that,” he said. “That’s the receiving of strength. Then it’s our job to go give strength and give hope and give joy. Sports are a lot of things, and sports can certainly provide an escape and a distraction. Hopefully sports tonight can provide some joy as well.”
JJ Redick and Paul are close friends from their seasons together with the Los Angeles Clippers, with Redick saying the 20-year veteran is “like a brother to me.”
“He called me this afternoon and said, ‘Whether you win or we win, Vic and I are going to go over and give the boys our jerseys,’” Redick added. “It was nice of them to do it. They now each have two (jerseys), because Austin (Reaves) was nice enough to leave a couple for him in his locker after practice the other day. I appreciate all the love, and I’m not surprised Chris did something like that.”
The NBA postponed two home games for the Lakers and one home game for the Clippers last week while the fires still raged. The NFL also moved the Los Angeles Rams’ wild-card playoff game to suburban Phoenix on Monday night, and Lakers fans greeted the highlights of the Rams’ blowout victory over Minnesota with a big ovation when they appeared on the scoreboard.
Redick said a few of his players had been under evacuation warnings in recent days, and one couldn’t make it to work on time because of activity around his home. Redick and his family lost almost everything they owned in their rented home.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with the amount of support and love and generosity that people have shown to me and my family, and really all families that have been affected by this,” Redick said.
The Lakers staged a donation drive outside their arena before they hosted the Spurs, accepting food and packaged personal items. The Lakers and Clippers were among 12 Los Angeles-area pro sports teams that announced Monday they will contribute more than $8 million combined for local relief efforts.
The Lakers displayed the message “Thank you first responders” on their scoreboard before the game and observed a moment of silence before point guard Gabe Vincent spoke to the crowd.
“On behalf my teammates, this organization, our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this,” Vincent said. “We’d definitely like to give a shoutout to the first responders who are putting their lives on the line right now to protect our community. I think it’s important at this time that we come together as a city, as a community, as a family, to help support those that are in need right now.”
The Clippers covered every seat at Intuit Dome with giveaway white towels featuring the words “LA Strong” and a blue image of the state of California.
“We’re so thankful for the first responders, but we ache for the victims,” public address announcer Eric Smith said before the game. “The smoke will lift and they will return and rebuild, because this is LA. Today we all stand together (as) one team, one Los Angeles.”
The two teams’ opponents also went through several days of uncertainty due to the wildfires.
The Spurs were supposed to play back-to-back games against the Lakers starting Saturday. The Heat, who will face the Lakers on Wednesday, didn’t know if they would be allowed to head to Los Angeles last Saturday until after their game in Portland.
“We understand our responsibility,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We want to do whatever we can in this profession. We’re coming with great empathy and grace, and if our role is to provide entertainment and inspiration, then that’s our role. But while we’re doing that, we’re thinking about all the devastation and all people are dealing with. It’s just been horrible.”
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AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Inglewood contributed to this report.
FILE – Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) waves after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. Kelce will bring his highly successful music festival called Kelce Jam back to Kansas City. The second annual one-day event held on May 18 will be hosted by the superstar tight end of the Chiefs and headlined by Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Diplo and local legend Tech N9ne. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
RANT SPORTS – As Super Bowl LIX Beckons, Football Fans Gravitate to Key Stats and Storylines
On February 9, 2025, the NFC and AFC Conference Champions will meet at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Super Bowl LIX. Football fans have been piling into the action all season to make their picks and predictions for the winner.
As Super Bowl Sunday beckons, there will be a tsunami of interest in the many different forms of football betting. Last year, the Super Bowl set records for American wagering, with some $23 billion bet. This year, seeing the popularity of the big game, platforms are going all out to appeal to this mass of betting interest.
So, there are plenty of offers bouncing around and unique ways to bet on the outcomes of Super Bowl LIX. Keep reading to explore these novel options and discover some stats to keep in mind for the potential Super Bowl contenders this year.
A Diverse Landscape for Super Bowl Fans
Every year, betting lines light up with a whole range of quirky selections. For the Super Bowl, prop markets are always a point of interest – and not just for the player lines. The length of the national anthem, style of the halftime performer’s attire, and the color of the winning team’s Gatorade douse are all in the odds.
In daily fantasy sports betting, the lines can also see a bit more variation. With some platforms, you’ll be able to bundle in these once-a-year kind of props. Many will also offer boosts on certain players hitting or missing their under-over lines. Others are adapting the formula entirely for the big game.
At Sleeper, the emphasis is on collaborating with your squad to make top fantasy picks. You’ll all get to select the DFS player lines that you think will happen, bundle them into a picks list, and watch the stats move in real time. With the Super Bowl fast approaching, savvy DFS teams will be claiming a Sleeper promo for NFL betting like this.
With the offer, each player will get a $55 bonus cash offer after playing $5. So, naturally, many teams will open an account, make the $10 deposit, play $5 on an upcoming game of the NFL, NBA, or anything else, and then get their 11 $5 bonus wagers to use on the big game.
What to Keep in Mind for the Super Bowl
On the NFC side, coming into the Conference Championships, Jayden Daniels absolutely had the upper hand on the Eagles’ QB, who’d suffered a concussion and then a leg injury. However, the Philadelphia defense ranked as the best in the NFL by quite some margin, only allowing 278.4 yards on average. It was Philadelphia that romped to an easy 55-23 victory.
Over in AFC territory, the Super Bowl machine that are the Kansas City Chiefs might have a shot at history with the unheard-of three-peat, after their 32-29 win over the Bills. There’s also Travis Kelce’s shot at unseating one of Jerry Rice’s long-standing records. With just three receptions in the big game, Kelce would overtake Rice’s haul of 33 takes at the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LIX promises to be a fascinating game, with a second matchup of these two teams in three years. That contest came down to the final seconds, but who will win this one?
The bigger question here is, where will fans be placing their bets for the colossal event?
William Byron (24) and Kyle Busch (18) race into turn one during the NASCAR Cup series auto race in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
RANT SPORTS – NASCAR likes to open with a short track exhibition
A week before heading to Daytona for the 2025 NASCAR season, they will kick off the year with an exhibition race on Saturday night under the lights. The event, known as The Cookout will take place at Bowman Gray Stadium, a NASCAR-sanctioned quarter-mile asphalt flat oval short track and a historic football stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The race, also known as The Clash, will mark the debut for several new drivers. Two of the top young talents making their NASCAR Cup Series debuts are Tim Brown for Rick Racing and Burt Myers for Team Amerivet.
This race also features the Front Row Motorsports debut for Noah Gragson and the return of Zane Smith that team. Additionally, Todd Gilliland will be driving the flagship No. 38 after three seasons in the No. 34. Furthermore, Josh Berry iin the iconic Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford.
Some familiar names with new and full season rides
AJ Allmendinger has returned to Kaulig Racing full-time, while Riley Herbst has joined 23XI Racing. Cole Custer is back now full time at the Haas Factory Team. Cody Ware is also time in the family-owned No. 51.
Ryan Preece is debuting for RFK Racing and Michael McDowell has moved to Spire Motorsports. Shane Van Gisbergen is racing full-time in Cup for Trackhouse Racing
Here is the full list of cars the teams
1 | Ross Chastain | Phil Surgen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
2 | Austin Cindric | Brian Wilson | Team Penske | Ford
3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Boswell | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet
4 | Noah Gragson | Drew Blickensderfer | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
24 | William Byron | Rudy Fugle | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
34 | Todd Gilliland | Chris Lawson | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
35 | Riley Herbst | Davin Restivo | 23XI Racing | Toyota
38 | Zane Smith | Ryan Bergentry | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
41 | Cole Custer | Aaron Kramer | Haas Factory Team | Ford
42| John Hunter Nemechek | Travis Mack | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota
43| Erik Jones | Ben Beshore | Legacy Motor Club | Toyot
45 | Tyler Reddick | Billy Scott | 23XI Racing | Toyota
47| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Mike Kelley | HYAK Racing | Ford
48| Alex Bowman | Blake Harris | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
50 | Burt Myers | Tony Eury Jr. | Team Amerivet | Chevrolet
51 | Justin Haley | Billy Plourde |Rick Ware Racing | Ford
54 | Ty Gibbs | Tyler Allen | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota
60 | Ryan Preece | Derrick Finley | RFK Racing | Ford
66 | Garrett Smithley | Carl Long | Garage 66 | Ford
71 | Michael McDowell | Travis Peterson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
77 | Carson Hocevar | Luke Lambert | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
88 | Shane Van Gisbergen | Stephen Doran | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
99 | Daniel Suarez | Matt Swiderski | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
Where to watch and listen to the race
Practice and qualifying is set for 6:10 on FS1 and heat races are set for 8:30 on FS1. The last chance race is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday on FOX and the main event is scheduled for 8 on FOX.
