Los Angeles wildfires: Status of NBA, NFL, NHL games; coaches, athletes impacted by fires

Yahoo Sports | American Football | 01/09/2025

The fires raging in Southern California have forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 people, including the families of two NBA coaches. (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)

A Kings game was postponed, while NFL announced plans if Rams can’t host playoff game in Inglewood

Three intense and destructive wildfires are raging in Southern California, fueled by the powerful Santa Ana winds. The evacuation orders, which now include parts of the Los Angeles area, have caused tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

The fires, of course, are also impacting athletes and sporting events across the city.

Status of games scheduled in L.A.

On Wednesday, the fires prompted the Kings to postpone a Wednesday night home game against the Calgary Flames.

“Tonight’s game against Calgary has been postponed,” a Kings statement reads. “Our hearts are with the entire Los Angeles community. We appreciate the hard-working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community.”

The Lakers are scheduled to start a four-game home stand on Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets. They share Crypto.com Arena with the Kings as their home arena. The Clippers are scheduled to return from a road trip to host the Hornets on Saturday at their new arena in Inglewood.

Those games remained on schedule as of Wednesday afternoon, but their status is subject to change depending on the trajectory of the wildfires.

The Hornets took off from Charlotte Wednesday for their back-to-back against the Lakers and Clippers. NBA spokesman Mike Bass, meanwhile, released a statement addressing Thursday’s scheduled Hornets-Lakers game.

“We are in communication with the Lakers and Hornets and continue to closely monitor the situation to determine if any scheduling adjustments are necessary related to tomorrow night’s game.”

NFL has contingency plan for Rams-Vikings game

The NFL playoffs kick off with the wild-card round this weekend, and the Los Angeles Rams are set to host the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. SoFi Stadium is located in Inglewood, which is about 10 miles southeast of where the Palisades fire is burning, but the situation is evolving rapidly.

The NFL said it plans to play that game as scheduled, but it announced a contingency plan on Wednesday afternoon. If necessary, the game would be moved to State Farm Stadium in Arizona — which is home to the Cardinals. It would still take place on Monday night.

The NFL said in a statement that it “will continue to closely monitor developments” and will “remain in contact with public officials, both clubs and the NFLPA.”

Chargers raise supplies, money for disaster relief, pet rescue

The Chargers announced on Wednesday that they are donating $200,000 across multiple organizations in support of the firefighting and recovery effort including the “American Red Cross, LA Fire Department Foundation, Team Rubicon and several pet rescue organizations sheltering animals displaced by the fires.”

The Chargers are also asking people who can to bring supplies to previously scheduled fan events ahead of their playoff game on Saturday. The Chargers are visiting the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.