Russell Westbrook sent an emotional message to his hometown of Los Angeles as wildfires continue to rage through the city.
The 36-year-old was born in Long Beach but now plays for the Denver Nuggets, who beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Colorado on Wednesday night.
But for Westbrook, who scored 19 points in the win, his thoughts and prayers have been with his friends and family in California who were caught up in the devastation.
“My family is safe, but people I know, close friends and family have lost their homes,” he said. 'Being from Los Angeles, I've never seen anything like this before.
'Not being able to do anything is really difficult. It's going to be a tough rebuild, but Los Angeles is very strong and we can stick together and make something happen.
“The best I can do, obviously this is my job, but to go out and try to give people joy and inspiration by going out and playing as hard as I can, but also making sure I find ways to help in any way I can.” can.'
The fires in Los Angeles have devastated the city: five dead and thousands of buildings destroyed
At least five people have died from the fires and more than 2,000 buildings have been destroyed.
The Los Angeles Lakers' NBA game against the Charlotte Hornets, scheduled for Thursday night at Crypto.Com in Los Angeles, is off, 24 hours after the LA Kings postponed a game at the same venue.
The Los Angeles Rams are still hoping to host their NFL playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
But if the game is deemed unsafe to take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, it could be moved to Arizona.
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