Kawhi Leonard excused by Clippers to help family evacuate due to LA wildfires

Kawhi Leonard is stepping away from the LA Clippers indefinitely to help members of his family evacuate as a result of the ongoing wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters on Wednesday.

“You definitely have to take care of home. … Totally had my support 100%,” Lue said. ‘Going back, checking on his family and kids, making sure they’re well. And he got back, and they’re doing OK, so just happy and thankful for that.”

The Clippers are currently on a road trip that started in Minnesota on Monday and will conclude in Denver on Wednesday. Their next home game is scheduled for Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, which is part of Los Angeles County.

The NHL on Wednesday postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames at Crpyto.com Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers share that stadium with the Kings and are scheduled to play the Charlotte Hornets there on Thursday.

Lakers coach JJ Redick’s family had to evacuate their home as a result of the fire, as did Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s 90-year-old mother.

Leonard, an LA native, made his season debut in the Clippers’ win against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. He played 19 minutes and scored 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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