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Touching moment: Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul give game-worn jerseys to J.J. Redick’s children

San Antonio Spurs v Los Angeles Lakers

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 13: Chris Paul #3 and Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs sign autographs for fans after the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 13, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

NBAE via Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — J.J. Redick and his family were among the thousands in Los Angeles who had their lives turned upside down this week when the Pacific Palisades home they rented burned down in the wildfires that have devastated the city. “Everything that we owned that was of any importance to us in almost 20 years together as a couple and 10 years of parenting was in that house. There are certain things that you can’t replace, that will never be replaced,” the Lakers’ coach said before his team practiced this week.

Among those irreplaceable things was the growing basketball memorabilia collection of Redick’s two young sons, Knox and Kai, both huge NBA fans. Monday night, after the Lakers’ first game since the fires started, the Spurs’ Chirs Paul and Victor Wembanyama helped Knox and Kai restart that collection by signing and giving the boys their game-worn jerseys.

"[Paul] called me this afternoon and said, ‘Vic and I are gonna go -- whether you win or we win -- we’re gonna go over and give your boys jerseys. He’s well aware they’re huge NBA fans,” an emotional Redick said after the game.

“All their basketball cards... I ran a podcast out of my home for two years, and all the players would come through and they’d get either a jersey or card signed. They had a collection of jerseys and cards, and they lost all that. It’s nice of them to do it, and now they each have two. Austin [Reaves] was nice enough to leave a couple for them in his locker after practice the other day. I appreciate all the love, not surprised Chris did something like that.”

“You play a lot of years in this league, and some guys are just teammates. J.J. is a part of my family,” Paul said. “Him, his wife, those kids, Knox and Kai. I know a lot of people lost family members and homes and stuff like that. It just hits different when people are close to you. Me and J.J. are the ultimate competitors, as close as we are, to lose, to win or whatnot. I actually told him today that I wanted to do that for his boys. I know how big of basketball fans they are, and it’s just a tough situation, man.”

“I heard of that. And, yeah, Chris asked me earlier if it was okay for me to do that, I didn’t know they were huge fans like this, but J.J. is a person I like, and that was directly impacted by this,” Wembanyama said after his Spurs picked up the win. “So I just knew, if I can make those kid’s days, I’ll do it.”

It was a simple act of kindness that goes a long way toward healing people, the kind of gesture seen throughout Los Angeles in recent days.

The Lakers are also trying to help the city heal in a more significant way. They helped put together a donation drive outside Crypto.com Arena to support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s relief efforts, where fans could drop off food for people who have lost everything. The Lakers also have teamed up with other Los Angeles professional sports teams — the Clippers, Sparks, Dodgers, Angels, Rams, Chargers, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, and Angel City — and donated more than $8 million to support relief efforts.