Clippers to donate proceeds from preseason game to Maui Strong Fund

Clippers to donate proceeds from preseason game in Hawaii to Maui wildfire relief

Supplies for Lahaina fire victims are passed by volunteers to be loaded on a boat for delivery

Staff Writer

Aug. 23, 2023 10 AM PT

The Clippers’ season-opening trip to Hawaii in October for training camp will end with a preseason game that will double as a benefit for the state’s recovery from wildfires.

All proceeds from their Oct. 8 preseason game against the Utah Jazz at Honolulu’s SimpliFi Arena will be donated to the Maui Strong Fund, the team announced Wednesday. The fund is administered by the nonprofit Hawaii Community Foundation, which is seeking only monetary donations “that can be deployed quickly, with a focus on rapid response and recovery for the devastating wildfires on Maui,” according to the foundation’s website.

The wildfire that burned Lahaina has become the deadliest in the U.S. in a century. Last week, the Clippers and 11 other major professional sports teams in Los Angeles donated $450,000 to the American Red Cross’ relief efforts in Maui.

The Clippers have previous ties to the state, with this year marking their fourth training camp in Honolulu since 2017. The Clippers will arrive in the capital on Oct. 2, after the team holds its season-opening media day in Los Angeles. The team said its foundation, along with the Hawaiian tourism authority, will help wildfire recovery efforts in other ways as well.

The Oct. 8 game against Utah is the first of the Clippers’ four-game preseason schedule. The Clippers play the Jazz again Oct. 10 in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, then close with a pair of exhibitions against Denver at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 17 and Oct. 19.

The Clippers open the 2023-24 NBA regular season at home Oct. 25 against Portland at Crypto.com Arena.