LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Lakers coach J.J. Redick says he hopes the team’s eventual return to play can “give people hope” after seeing his Pacific Palisades home incinerated in the deadly wildfires that have ravaged the city.

The Lakers postponed a scheduled home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Jan 9 because of the fires, which have left at least 11 people dead and destroyed around 10,000 homes and other buildings.

Redick oversaw practice on Jan 10 for what was expected to be an emotionally charged home game against the San Antonio Spurs on Jan 11, but that game too was postponed in a decision announced by National Basketball Association chiefs.

The Los Angeles Clippers’ game against Charlotte set for Jan 11 was also postponed.

Redick is one of several members of the Lakers organisation directly impacted by the fires, seeing his family’s rented property in Pacific Palisades, the ground zero of the disaster, consumed by the flames.

On Jan 10, Redick became emotional as he spoke to reporters about the personal impact of the disaster on his family.

“I’m not sure I’ve wept or wailed like that in several years,” said Redick, who was living in the house with his wife, Chelsea, and their two sons.

“I was not prepared for what I saw,” Redick said of visiting Pacific Palisades after returning home from the Lakers’ road game at Dallas in the early hours of Jan 8 morning.

By that stage, Redick’s family had been evacuated to a hotel. The Lakers coach then paid a visit to his home early on Jan 8 to assess the situation.

“It was complete devastation and destruction. I went a different way to the house through the village, and it’s all gone,” Redick said. “I don’t think you can ever prepare yourself for something like that.

“We moved out here, and the Palisades community has really been so good to us. That’s the part to us that we’re really struggling with. I recognise that people make up community and we’re going to rebuild and we’re going to lead on that.

“We talked about it as a group before practice today. And it’s our responsibility and everybody in this building to lead on this and help people.”

Redick said his family had lost “irreplaceable” items in the destruction.

“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 th...