Heartbreaking photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com reveal the burnt remnants of nine-time NBA champion Steve Kerr’s childhood home following the devastating Palisades fires on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
The decorated head coach of the Golden State Warriors hasn’t lived in the home since his days at Palisades High. But, as he said last week, the family did successfully evacuated his 90-year-old mother Ann, the widow of assassinated American University of Beirut professor, Malcolm H. Kerr.
‘My mom is in good hands, but her house is gone,’ Kerr said last week. ‘I’ve been on the phone with my siblings quite a bit.’
The charming four-bedroom home valued on Zillow at more than $5 million was built in 1941 on the edge of Rivas Canyon and Will Rogers State Historic Park – areas that were devastated by the recent wildfires.
At least 24 people have been killed and more than 90,000 have been displaced by the wind-driven blazes as authorities continue to warn about the dangers of the current conditions.
The Palisades Charter High School suffered ‘significant damage’ although the main campus building did survive the fire. That school system and its 3,000 students are currently out on holiday.
The Kerr family home was built in 1941 and was estimated to be worth more than $5million
The Kerr household is seen in Pacific Palisades before the fire that destroyed the estate
Steve Kerr said his 90-year-old mother Ann (right) was successfully evacuated from her home
Exclusive photos show the complete devastation of the Kerr family home in Pacific Palisades
‘That’s my hometown,’ Kerr said last week of Pacific Palisades. ‘All my friends who are from there pretty much all lost their homes — their family homes, their childhood homes. Our high school is gone. The town looks like it’s just been completely wiped out. It’s surreal and devastating.
‘Fortunately, almost everyone escaped. But it’s hard to even fathom how Pacific Palisades rebuilds and how it becomes a thriving community again. It’s just shocking.’
Like many in the area, Kerr’s family home was demolished by the fire, which seemed to incinerate everything but the brick chimney.
It was there that he was raised with his three siblings before going on to play collegiately at Arizona.
Sadly, Kerr’s father was shot to death by a group linked with Hezbollah while teaching in his native Beirut in 1984 as Steve was becoming a star player with the Wildcats.
The 6-foot-2 guard would go on to win three NBA titles with the Bulls and another two with the Spurs as a player before coaching the Warriors to four titles in the Bay Area.
He’s also won two Olympic gold medals as a coach and the 1986 FIBA World Championship as a player.
Ann Kerr, professor, Fulbright Enrichment Program Coordinator and mother of Steve Kerr, poses for a portrait at her kids’ old rope swing at her home in the Pacific Palisades in October
The remains of a Ford Taurus are seen outside the property that belongs to the Kerrs
The charming four-bedroom home valued on Zillow at more than $5 million was built in 1941 on the edge of Rivas Canyon and Will Rogers State Historic Park – two areas impacted by the fire
Pacific Palisades borders Malibu about 20 miles west of downtown LA.
It includes hillside streets of tightly packed homes along winding roads nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and stretches down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean.
‘Everything I’m seeing and reading is just terrifying what’s happening down there,’ Kerr said last week.
‘I just want to send thoughts to everyone who’s going through the devastation of the fire. Obviously the game is secondary to that and to many things in life. Perspective is important.’
While the NFL made the decision to move the Los Angeles Rams to Glendale, Arizona for their Wild Card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, the NBA‘s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers hosted home games on Monday evening.
At the newly opened Intuit Dome in the city of Inglewood, the Clippers hosted the Miami Heat in their first game back at home after the fires began. Previously, the NBA had postponed a home contest against the Charlotte Hornets due to the disaster.
Prior to the game tipping off, the Clippers’ public address announcer, Eric Smith, delivered a moving speech.
‘Our city has endured unfathomable devastation,’ Smith told the gathered fans. ‘Homes have been destroyed, businesses and lives lost, and communities forever changed.
‘We’re so thankful for the first responders, but we ache for the victims. We mourn more than just property, pictures, keepsakes, memories that connect families and generations. Once vibrant and historic neighborhoods sit empty, evacuated.
‘But the smoke will lift, and they will return and rebuild. Because this is LA and today, we all stand together: one team, one Los Angeles.’
A Los Angeles Clippers fan holds up an ‘LA Strong’ shirt at a Clippers-Heat game on Monday
The speech drew cheers from the sparsely attended audience just before the national anthem played.
Players wore t-shirts on the benches and in warmup which said ‘LA Strong’ with a blue outline of the state.
Across the city in downtown LA, the Lakers hosted the San Antonio Spurs in a game that was initially postponed from Saturday. Like the Clippers, the Lakers had a game against the Hornets postponed as well.
The team held a moment of silence and dedicated the game to first responders on a night where the franchise also retired the jersey of Lakers legend Michael Cooper.
Like the Clippers, the Lakers also wore special shirts in warmups and on the bench – with a yellow firefighters cross and the Lakers’ ‘L’ logo in the middle with the words ‘Thank You First Responders’.
Members of both teams were effected by the wildfires, which still rage throughout the city and surrounding suburbs.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard announced last week that he’d be taking some time away from the team after his family was forced to evacuate from the Palisades Fire. Leonard played in Monday’s game – a 109-98 victory.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .