While their Saturday night meeting against the Lakers has been postponed, the Spurs still do not know if Monday evening’s meeting will be maintained. Victor Wembanyama and his teammates have been in Los Angeles since Thursday morning for a double meeting against LeBron James and his partners, and the fires have already forced them to change hotels, and find one located 50 kilometers from the flames. But there is no question of dwelling on these logistical problems.
“It seems almost ridiculous to think that what we are going through is just a small change in the calendar” explains Mitch Johnson, the interim coach of the Spurs. “All of our thoughts and prayers and energy go out to the people of Los Angeles and everything that’s going on here, and the guys have been very mature in their approach and understanding of that. »
Saturday morning, the Spurs trained for an hour at the Crypto.com Arena, but clearly, the players and coaches have their minds elsewhere, especially since several of them are personally affected by the situation.
Chris Paul’s family evacuated
“The situation is frankly fluid, while there is always something new happening” reports Harrison Barnes, whose wife is from California. “We were housed in Santa Monica and then we ended up downtown and the game was postponed last night, and we don’t know what’s going to happen with the game. We don’t know if there will be two matches or just one, or anything else. But I think the players are just realizing the severity of the situation, trying to see how they can help and support the people who are affected by the fires while they continue to uncover the news. »
For his part, Chris Paul revealed his wife and two children had evacuated their house on Tuesday, and all the players are with him in these complicated times. “I know there were a few guys who had gone to his house, who had spent time with them”reports Mitch Johnson. “We’ve been very clear with everyone that if their families or loved ones and people they know are going through things, that’s a priority over basketball. And hopefully when we play basketball, like in practice today, it can be a little bit of a sanctuary for these guys to get a little bit of normalcy back. »
