Tennis Legend Pam Shriver Loses Trophies in Car Theft Amid LA Wildfires

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. — Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver reported Thursday that her car, containing some of her most prized trophies, was stolen overnight from a hotel parking lot as she evacuated her home due to the Pacific Palisades wildfires.

Shriver, a former World No. 3 and ESPN tennis analyst, discovered her Dodge Durango Hellcat missing around 7:30 a.m. from the Marina del Rey DoubleTree parking lot. The vehicle held five US Open trophies, five French Open plates, five Wimbledon trophies, and one Australian Open trophy, which she had removed from her home for safekeeping. “I was just starting to take things out to pack them in the car, and I was like, ‘Where’s the car?'” Shriver said.

Broken glass was found in the parking lot, indicating a forced entry. Family photos from the car were later discovered by a passerby in South Los Angeles and returned to the photographer whose contact information was printed on the back of the images.

Shriver and her son filed a police report, and detectives are actively searching for the vehicle. ESPN requested the report, but it was not immediately available. Shriver and her family relocated to another hotel later Thursday.

The theft occurred amid the chaos of the Pacific Palisades wildfires, which forced Shriver to evacuate her Brentwood home on Jan. 7. She had reserved rooms at the DoubleTree for her housekeeper, family friends, and pets. Shriver returned from a Hawai'i vacation to join them at the hotel after gathering belongings from her home. Her three adult children have also stayed with her at the hotel at various times.

Shriver, who was scheduled to cover the Australian Open for ESPN, returned to Los Angeles due to the fires. While her home remains unscathed, she is staying in temporary shelter until heating and power are restored. She expressed dismay at the looting that has followed the wildfires. “Now, my family’s a victim of a crime, too,” Shriver said. “It’s really sad on so many levels that when people are at their lowest and in their most difficult times, people are doing things like this.”

Shriver, a 21-time Grand Slam doubles champion and Olympic gold medalist, has been working as a tennis analyst for ESPN. She is also part of the coaching team for Donna Vekic, who is competing in the Australian Open. Despite the challenges, Shriver followed Vekic’s second-round victory via the Australian Open app, unable to stream the match in the U.S. due to the ongoing crisis.

“Watched match point by point on AO app but could not figure out how to find it streamed in the U.S.,” Shriver wrote on social media. “You don’t sweat the small stuff in L.A. atm.”

Shriver, who has been sleeping in a room with three rescue cats, remains resilient. “I have never slept in the same room as three rescue cats, but these are unusual times in L.A.,” she said. “I am starting at 4:45 a.m. because Donna’s match went long. Starting at 4:50 a.m., how much sleep can I get?”