Heat's Jaime Jaquez fumes with Southern California in flames: 'Ridiculous how California lets this happen'

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Jan 10, 2025

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PORTLAND, Ore. — It is a week Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez had circled since the NBA schedule came out in August, consecutive games against the Los Angeles teams and the opportunity to reconnect with so many elements of his past.

From the Heat’s practices back on his college campus at UCLA to his high school retiring his number on the day between the games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers, there was the opportunity for the best of times.

Now? Fear, anger and much, much more up in flames than something as mundane as reunions.

As a lifelong Southern Californian until the shift to the Heat as the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, Jaquez is more than aware of the inherent dangers of the deadly combination of dry brush and Santa Ana Winds.

But because of that, Jaquez is not hiding his anger over what has transpired and what is transpiring. He and the Heat are waiting to see whether there will be a Monday game against the Clippers at the Intuit Dome or a Wednesday night game against the Lakers at Crypto.Com Arena, the scheduled final two games of this six-game trip that next takes the Heat to the Moda Center against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night .

“My family, they’re safe, they’re well,” he said, after recording 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in Thursday night’s 97-92 victory over the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. “I got a lot of friends who were affected by these fires, houses burning down. It’s really tragic, it really is.

“I think it’s kind of ridiculous how California lets this happen. It happens every single year, never prepared for it, always just gets out of control. People are losing their homes and losing their livelihood and it’s ridiculous.”

Jaquez said this is not raging in the moment, but at an approach by authorities that has long baffled, as he moved as a youth from Irvine to Camarillo, not far from the worst of the Los Angeles flames.

“To not be prepared for every single year and just talk about not having enough water and a drought, how?” he said. “We have an ocean right next to us. It gets frustrating for someone who’s had to deal with it, seen people who’ve been affected by it. So it’s very frustrating for someone who loves the state of California, grew up there, to see what’s happening.

“And a lot of it is just bad management. And it’s frustrating to see.”

The plan had been to have Jaquez’s No. 24 Camarillo High jersey retired Tuesday, during a ceremony before the Scorpions’ game against Simi Valley. Over the years, Jaquez has continued to support his school through contributions of equipment and clothing.

Now there are greater priorities.

“Who knows what’s going to happen?” he said. “I pray to God, the firefighters, shout out to them doing everything they can to prevent this from happening. Who knows? This is so unpredictable, these winds get so crazy.

“But I mean we live in 2025 now. I don’t understand. Every single year it happens, people’s homes get destroyed, forests, everything. It’s frustrating, it’s frustrating to see.”

With a sister, Gabriela Jaquez, who plays on the top-ranked, undefeated women’s team at UCLA, even the trip back to campus is in doubt, with the school shut down amid the nearby inferno.

But most importantly, the Heat forward said, family safe.

“They’re OK right now. The family is OK,” he said, “But like I said, I got a lot of friends, people who live up in the hills who are being greatly affected, and it’s a sad thing to see.”