Sports
Steve Kerr, JJ Redick provide respite as Palisades basketball team endures after fires
LOS ANGELES — JJ Redick knew exactly what he was doing. The Los Angeles Lakers coach stepped into a subtle moment and broke the awkward silence with the matter-of-fact delivery of a question. One designed to rile up the guys. Add some juice to the moment.
“Who’s the best player on the team?” Redick asked.
Hands flew up. Five players nominated themselves with raised arms. Another did so with a confident smirk. Redick grinned at the chaos he provoked as several Palisades Charter High School boys basketball team members claimed the crown.
“Are we serious?” sophomore point guard Jack Levey asked, his right hand raised above his head.
“Look at the stats,” senior wing Tommy Pickens said with a smile from his seat, his index finger held high.
The Palisades Dolphins were guests of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, hosted by the Lakers on Thursday. They watched the Lakers beat the Warriors from a suite. As a nightcap, they got to hang in a private lounge with Kerr and Redick after the game.
“Every team I was ever on, we all knew who the best player was,” Redick said, one arm folded across his gray hoodie that read Pali Strong in light blue letters. “I’m not saying it was me. I’m saying we all knew who the best player was. You guys, deep down … you know who the best player is.”
The best has taken on a new meaning for the Dolphins. Their school was part of the carnage of the Pacific Palisades fires last month. A couple of players lost their homes. All of them lost their sense of normalcy.
Steve Kerr and JJ Redick speak to the team after Thursday’s Warriors-Lakers game. Last month, fires disrupted their lives and their season. (Courtesy of Golden State Warriors)
But their team is a testament to what was discovered in the ashes, for they found a deeper brotherhood. They found their resilience. They found the spirit of community.
“I learned that they’re their family,” said coach Jeff Bryant in his first season leading Palisades. “And they are relentless. They’re brothers. And they’re going to fight the fight. There was a community once before. There will be a community again.”
And on this night, they found the empathy of a pair of NBA coaches.
Redick, in his first year on the Lakers bench, made the Pacific Palisades his home. He drove past the high school to work every day. The house the Redicks rented burned in the fires, forever engraving them into their new community.
Kerr graduated from Palisades High in 1983. He introduced his mother, Ann, to the team. They told them how at 90 years old she lost the home where she raised her children. More than half a century of memories incinerated.
“Her house is on Chautauqua (Boulevard),” said Kerr, sporting a navy and white Palisades Dolphins trucker cap. “That’s where I grew up. It’s been in the family since 1969.”
But both Kerr and Redick have stiff-armed sympathy. They have resources most victims of the fire don’t. So they shared some of them with the Palisadian hoopers.
If time with two popular NBA coaches wasn’t enough, the Dolphins players were each gifted Kobe Bryant signature Nikes and Warriors gear. They got some television time and media coverage. Their moment of shine had their text messages blowing up.
“Everybody knows us now,” senior wing Mikal Sims said with a confident smile plastered across his face. He’s 6-foot-2 with square shoulders and immaculate cornrows. The camera loves him.
“We were the big people on campus. Then, the campus burned down. Now we’re just the big people wherever we are.”
“They all inspire me with how they are handling it,” Palisades coach Jeff Bryant says of his players, pictured here talking with Steve Kerr. (Courtesy of Golden State Warriors)
With two games left in the regular season, the Dolphins are, somehow, still on a path to the playoffs. They were 9-5 when flames engulfed their city on Jan. 7. In the 12 games since their season resumed, the Dolphins are 8-4.
They even pushed Westchester, leaders of the Western League. Playing a home game at nearby Santa Monica High, the Dolphins put together a 19-0 first-half run to take control of the game. They eventually lost by 10 — their two conference losses are to Westchester, led by Tajh Ariza, son of NBA champion Trevor Ariza — but Palisades got a glimpse of its newfound edge.
“We played a great first half,” Levey, the point guard, said. “A great first half. That’s when I knew that, after the fire, we were still ready to go.”
And that only begins to illustrate their impressiveness. Because undergirding it all is their upended worlds. The fires no longer dominate the news, but still their lives.
They’re back to school online, which the COVID-19 pandemic revealed can be detrimental to students. Now, if they want to hang out as teammates, they travel about 15 miles from campus to Westfield Culver City to grab food together at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse.
Many of the staples and comforts of their teenage lives have been burned away. Much of what they know as home, as life, is covered in soot.
“It’s adversity,” their coach said. “We stare it in the eye. We face it. They all inspire me with how they are handling it. They’re dealing with this every day. If they didn’t lose their home, they lost their community. The restaurants they go eat at after school. The grocery stores they go to. The gas station.”
Yet, they’ve found their groove while all around them smolders.
They don’t have a gym, so their practice schedule is unsettled. They find hardwood where they can, at scarcely convenient times. It’s not uncommon for them to practice at 8 p.m. in a neighboring school’s gym.
“It’s crazy. But everyone is showing up on time,” Levey said.
Wreckage from the Palisades fire sits next to the high school. The facility was badly damaged in the blaze that hit the L.A. area. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Levey is only a sophomore but a clear leader. He’s one of the team’s hardest workers. He runs the offense, feeds the talent around him and scores when necessary.
But his floor general duties also are used to organize his team off the court. He doesn’t even drive yet, but he helps make sure his teammates get what they need. He’s constantly communicating, making sure he spends time with everyone.
It’s made bonding so much different. Their trivial conversations have been accompanied by real ones. They’ve been forced to grow into more than just teammates by their need for one another.
Matin Farhangnia, a senior point guard, lost his home. Pickens moved to California from Michigan, leaving his mom and sister to move with his dad. This senior season was supposed to get him exposure on the court. It wound up exposing him to a new family off it.
The Dolphins’ response: To become even more of a team. To hold dear to their joy. To be liberal with their smiles. To cling to appreciation. Yes, fire destroys. But it also refines.
“We came together more,” Sims said. “The fires really brought detriment to a few of our players. So we really felt for them. We really had to come together. You know, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I really believe that. And we’ve been beaten down pretty bad. But right now, I feel like we’re stronger together.”
GO DEEPER
For Palisades High players, baseball offers normalcy amid a charred L.A. landscape
(Top photo of Steve Kerr and J.J. Redick with the Palisades Charter High School basketball team: Courtesy of Golden State Warriors)
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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.
However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.
It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”
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The Sparks are finally in the win column, but the outcome was in doubt late Friday night.
Behind double-digit scoring from all five starters, the Sparks had by far their best offensive showing of the season, shooting 63.8% during a 99-95 win over the expansion Toronto Tempo.
The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball. Marina Mabrey missed a three-point attempt before late Tempo fouls gave the Sparks enough of a cushion to win.
Kelsey Plum nearly claimed a double-double with 27 points and nine assists, while Dearica Hamby had 19 points with seven rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points.
Erica Wheeler, who started in place of Ariel Atkins (concussion), scored 10 points with seven assists and was a plus-16 as the primary ball handler after starting the season two for 16 from the field. That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.
Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.
The Sparks came out firing on Friday, opening with a 17-2 run.
The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.
A Wheeler three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Sparks a 20-point lead. The Tempo cut it to three midway through the fourth while Brittany Sykes (27 points, seven assists) sparked Toronto’s rally. The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.
Toronto was coming off its first win in franchise history on Wednesday when it defeated Seattle but struggled against a more complete offensive team in the Sparks.
In her return to Los Angeles after winning a national championship with UCLA this spring, Tempo rookie Kiki Rice netted 11 points.
Kate Martin made her Sparks debut as a developmental player with Atkins and Sania Feagin (lower left leg) unavailable and picked up one rebound in six minutes.
The Sparks will face Toronto again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
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The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it’s just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury.
The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it.
Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner shoots over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers in the first half at PHX Arena. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door.
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Even though they’ve had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started.
They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence.
The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year.
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper dribbles the ball in the second half at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury.
I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game.
The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game.
Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins chases the ball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Bob Kupbens/Imagn Images)
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I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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