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)
Sports
Knicks miraculously overcome 29-point deficit to take commanding 3-1 lead in NBA Finals over Spurs
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NEW YORK – The New York Knicks do not die.
After trailing by as many as 29, the Knicks had yet another comeback — this one perhaps the greatest of all-time, to steal a 107-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs and take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
The winning moment came at the fingertip of OG Anunoby, whose tip-in off a missed Jalen Brunson three-pointer put Madison Square Garden in an absolute frenzy.
But it sure was a grind to get to that point.
New York Knicks PG Jalen Brunson shoots over San Antonio Spurs PG De’aaron Fox in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
Karl-Anthony Towns was hit with two fouls in just the first 62 seconds of the game, one which the Knicks faithful were not happy with. And while there was plenty of ball left after that, the game changed from that moment.
The refs certainly did not help the case, but the Spurs opened the game on a 41-20 run, mostly while Towns was off the floor. Combine that with the team knocking down 54% of its three-pointers in the first half, and you have a 76-49 Spurs lead at halftime, and they got up to a 29-point lead.
But we’ve learned to never count out New York. As they cut the deficit to 15 to close out the third quarter, the crowd that was dying to pounce was finally alive. A slow start to the fourth put San Antonio up 20, but the Knicks went on a 13-2 run to cut it to just nine with a little less than seven minutes to go. And then it was seven with 5:15 to go.
Members of the New York Knicks celebrate their 107-106 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on June 10, 2026. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
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And then it was four with 4:32 to go.
Then one with two minutes.
And then the lead with just 90 seconds left.
Pandemonium.
The Spurs hit two free throws to regain the lead with 30.3 seconds left. Yet again — it’s the Knicks.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts after making a three-point basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the fourth quarter of Game Four in the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on June 10, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Then came what head coach Mike Brown dubbed the greatest play in the history of Knicks basketball.
San Antonio was unable to get a shot off the inbound, and Madison Square Garden was the loudest it may have ever been, as the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history was complete.
After the game, head coach Mike Brown dubbed Anunoby’s tip-in the biggest play in the history of Knicks basketball.
The Knicks outscored the Spurs 58-30.
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MEXICO CITY — The Mexican national team will kick off the 2026 World Cup against South Africa on Thursday with the weight of entertaining 83,000 at iconic Azteca Stadium and soccer fans around the globe.
The match at the venue known as Mexico City Stadium during the World Cup will kick off at noon PDT and air on Fox and Telemundo.
Once the ball starts rolling, the stadium’s altitude — 7,216 feet above sea level — will be one of the biggest assets for the Mexican lineup led by coach Javier Aguirre.
It will be Mexico’s eighth opening match in a World Cup, and El Tri carries a historical burden. It has never won a tournament opener, with a record of 0-5-2, including a 1-1 draw against South Africa in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre directs his players during a friendly against Australia on May 30 at the Rose Bowl.
(Kyusung Gong / Ap Photo/kyusung Gong)
Aguirre will likely deploy the 4-3-3 formation he used during Mexico’s final warm-up match against Serbia.
“We’re ready; we’ve been working for 22 months,” said Aguirre, 67, who took the reins of the national team on Aug. 1, 2024, following Jaime Lozano’s failure at that year’s Copa América, when Mexico was knocked out in the group stage.
Since his arrival, Aguirre has led the team to its first Concacaf Nations League title and the Gold Cup. Mexico enters the tournament on an eight-game unbeaten streak, though several of those results came against lower tier opponents and at home. The two most encouraging highlights of that streak were the draws against Belgium and Portugal.
“If my teams are known for anything, it’s for their character,” Aguirre said. “My team is just like me.”
The starting goalkeeper position remains a topic of debate, but it appears Aguirre has already made his decision. Guillermo Ochoa, who will be playing in his sixth World Cup with Mexico, is considered by many to be the ideal experienced goalkeeper to use during the opener, when nerves are sure to be high. However, Raúl Rangel has been the starting goalkeeper during Mexico’s past three warm-up matches, playing the full 90 minutes each time.
Rangel, who was 10 years old when Mexico tied South Africa in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup and who fondly remembers El Tri’s victory over France that tournament, is confident between the posts.
Mexico could turn to veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa to calm nerves during the World Cup opener on Thursday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
“We’re in great shape; we proved it against Portugal and Belgium, two teams that are among the world’s elite,” said Rangel, who noted that Ochoa has instilled a sense of calm in the team.
“I do believe we can be champions. We have to start keeping that in mind and believe that it’s possible. Not everyone can boast that they played in a World Cup on home soil.”
The Mexican team’s lack of elite club experience, however, is obvious and could be a problem. El Tri has few players in top-tier leagues and lacks game-changers on the wings, as Diego Lainez, Uriel Antuna and Hirving Lozano were left off the final roster. Offensive output is a cause for concern. In tight matches, goals have come mainly from defenders, with César Montes and Johan Vásquez being the primary threats on set pieces.
The commitment to youth appears to be a key factor in Aguirre’s approach to building the roster. Mexican American Brian Gutiérrez brings freshness and dynamism to the midfield, alongside Erik Lira’s energy. As an option off the bench, Aguirre could turn to 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, the youngest player in the tournament, who is sure to draw cheers from the crowd.
For his part, South Africa’s 74-year-old head coach, Hugo Broos, knows the Azteca Stadium well, having marked Maradona during the 1986 World Cup semifinals. To acclimate his players to the altitude, he held training camp in Pachuca, at an elevation of 7,979 feet.
“This game is special. I’ve played in European championships, but there’s nothing like a World Cup. And we’re going to play at the Azteca Stadium — it’s incredible that this is going to happen,” Broos said.
South Africa coach Hugo Broo talks with Nigeria’s players during a World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on Sept. 9.
(Themba Hadebe / Associated Press)
He expects to be challenged by Mexico.
“They’re a very well-rounded team, with great mobility and teamwork,” Broos said of El Tri. “You can tell they want to be world champions.”
South Africa will pose a real threat with Mbekezeli Mokoena driving the midfield and the speed of Oswin Appollis and Relebohile Mofokeng on the wings. The team’s main weakness lies in finishing, as Lyle Foster is their only striker, and if he doesn’t perform well, the South African side will suffer.
“We can’t say we don’t have a chance against Mexico, because that’s not true,” said Broos about his team, which is ranked 60th in FIFA rankings and will tangle with a Mexican squad ranked No. 14.
Pregame entertainment will kick off at 10:30 a.m. PDT with performances by Shakira, Burna Boy, Maná, J Balvin, and Alejandro Fernández. As a new ceremonial feature, all 26 players from each team — starters and substitutes — will participate in the ceremony by lining up around the tournament’s central emblem on the field, rather than in the traditional pregame formation.
The match is expected to be played in the rain. Protests are expected around the stadium throughout the day, including demonstrations by the teachers’ union and groups representing the families of missing persons.
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is almost here, and fans stateside are starting to feel the excitement.
For the next month, some of the best soccer players and teams the world has to offer will duke it out on North American soil for the right to hoist the World Cup.
The U.S. Men’s National Team in particular is an exciting young soccer squad that is looking to make some noise on their home turf, and their road to the knockout stage couldn’t have been much easier (with all due respect to their fellow group members).
Folarin Balogun #20 of United States celebrates with teammates after scoring during the second half of the international friendly match between United States and Senegal at Bank of America Stadium on May 31, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Cory Knowlton/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
The Stars and Stripes will begin their quest for a World Cup on Friday, June 12, at 9 p.m. Eastern against Paraguay in Los Angeles.
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The Paraguayans will be making their return to the World Cup stage for the first time since 2010, and have been giant killers throughout their qualifying rounds, taking down the likes of South American heavyweights Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.
Next on the docket, the U.S. will face off against Australia on Friday, June 19, at 3 p.m. Eastern in Seattle.
The Socceroos will try their best to muck it up and play a very defensive brand of soccer against America, while also boasting a great goalkeeper in Matthew Ryan.
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Tyler Adams of the United States looks on before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between the Netherlands and the United States at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Dec. 3, 2022. (Maddie Meyer/FIFA/Getty Images)
Goals will be at a premium for anyone who plays Australia in this tournament.
To conclude group play, the United States will play Turkey on Thursday, June 25, at 10 p.m. Eastern back in Los Angeles.
Fresh off a quarterfinals appearance in Euro 2024, this is a very talented Turkey who may not have the star power of a France or Brazil, but will be a very dangerous out for anyone in the World Cup.
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Team USA fans celebrate with a flag during the soccer game between the United States and Panama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on June 27, 2024. (David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)
Though the subject of who moves on may already be decided when Türkiye and the United States square off, these are the two heavyweights of Group D and should make for an exciting conclusion to group play.
All three games will be streaming on Fox Sports and Fox One, with both the Australia and Paraguay matchups available on Fox (blackout restrictions may apply).
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Additionally, the U.S.-Paraguay matchup will be available for free on Tubi.
Happy World Cup, everyone, and go, go USA!
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