Many prominent athletes and entertainers with deep ties to the Los Angeles area have donated large sums to the wildfire relief efforts. The most recent donation, however, is from a superstar athlete who wasn’t even a member of a local team when the fires raged from Jan. 7-31.
Five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic, acquired by the Lakers from the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster trade Feb. 1, announced Monday on Instagram that he has pledged $500,000 through his foundation to fire recovery efforts and that he “plans to work with local organizations to help rebuild play spaces destroyed by the fires.
“We’re committed to helping kids in affected communities get back to playing and being kids,” the Instagram post said.
Nearly a month ago, L.A. sports teams donated a combined $8 million to wildfire relief. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who has lived in Southern California since signing with the Angels in 2018, gave $500,000. Freddie Freeman, a Dodger since 2022, donated $300,000. Chris Taylor‘s CT3 Foundation held a fundraising event and announced on Instagram that it is matching donations up to $5,000.
Read more: Team Luka: A look at the people who are part of Doncic’s inner circle
And the biggest donors were Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie, who “dedicated an initial $15 million in emergency funding for the many people impacted by these fires, particularly in the historic, racially diverse community of Altadena,” the city devastated by the Eaton fire.
The FireAid benefit concert on Jan. 30 was held at the Clippers’ home arena, the Intuit Dome, and the Kia Forum, both of which are owned by the Ballmers.
Comments to Doncic’s donation were overwhelmingly positive, and many appeared to be from fans of his from the Dallas area.
“That’s why Dallas loves him so much — because he has a genuine heart. ♥️” wrote one fan.
“This the real reason Dallas is so sad to lose Luka. Goes so much beyond the court, it was 177% about culture and community,” wrote another.
Doncic, who is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists a game this season, has yet to play a game for the Lakers because he’s recovering from a calf injury. He is listed as probable to make his debut Monday night against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena.
According to Doncic’s post, the $500,000 donation will be made Monday to the Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund “in order to have an immediate impact while the need is so great.”
The Foundation also pledged to donate “significant additional funding over the next two years to help make sure that kids who’ve lost their play spaces — what Luka calls his ‘peace place’ — are able to get back on the playground, field or court as soon as possible for the sake of their mental and physical well-being.”
Read more: Shohei Ohtani is giving $500,000 for fire relief. Here’s how other L.A. sports figures are helping
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
