Five Entertainers and Their Favorite NBA Team
We all love good basketball, and standing up for our favorite team and defending ourselves against the trash-talkers is a big part of it. Just ask Los Angeles Lakers fans, who deal with a lot of trash talk every day. I’m sorry about that, LA – not really, though. Like us, some artists love to rep their favorite team in any way they can.
Many artists have made their dreams come true by doing what they love. But there’s an extra value when your favorite team takes you into consideration to perform for them or even make a collab using the team’s identity.
For example, Eminem opened the Little Caesars Arena in 2017, performing his hit song “Lose Yourself” when the Pistons franchise moved back to Detroit.
We’ve always seen sports and entertainment work well together. Like the rest of us, famous people love sports and are willing to invest their time, energy and money in it. So which celebrities are the most representative fans of their teams right now?
Let’s check the latest NBA news, stats, injury report, and NBA lines. We’ve got plenty of NBA picks for you to consider.
1. Spike Lee: New York Knicks
The Oscar-winning film director has spent about $10 million on New York Knicks tickets at Madison Square Garden. Honestly, I lowkey wish that was me. Lee has been a Knicks fan since the early 1960s when his family moved to Brooklyn, being a staple in Knicks games since he became famous.
We all should admire his commitment to the team since the Knicks haven’t won any NBA titles since 1973, a pretty long time considering we’re talking about one of the most iconic franchises in the league.
2. Jack Nicholson: Los Angeles Lakers
Jack Nicholson is an Oscar-winning actor and maybe one of the biggest sports fans we’ve ever witnessed. Nicholson has seen the Lakers win 11 NBA championships from courtside, being a ticket-holder since 1970. His fan love escalated to the point where he set his film schedules in a way to be able to go and watch every Lakers home game; that’s some real commitment right there. Nicholson has also traveled with the team for their NBA Playoffs and Finals road trips.
3. Jay Z: Brooklyn Nets
Shawn Carter, aka “Jay-Z,” is a multi-platinum rapper and well-known entrepreneur. He played an important role for the Nets in 2003 when he invested big money to bring the team headquarters from New Jersey back to Brooklyn, Jay-Z’s hometown. “Hov” sold his share of the team back in 2014 but stated he’d be a Nets fan for life. He still owns part of Barclays Center, so he surely has some floor seats secured.
4. Drake: Toronto Raptors
Drizzy Drake is one of the best artists of this generation. He is one of the most successful rappers of all time and he’s aware of that, once saying, “I got more slaps than the Beatles,” and he ain’t lying. Drake may have more billboard entries than the Beatles, but something bigger than his ego and certified lover-boy energy is his love for the Toronto Raptors, which makes sense since Drake is a very proud Canadian.
Drake has been a Raptors fan since their debut in 1995, and he’s been a team ambassador since 2013. So many of us loved to see him break his curse in 2019 when the Raptors won their first NBA title.
5. Lil Baby: Atlanta Hawks
Lil Baby is probably the most relevant rapper right now. Born and raised in Atlanta, Baby has always represented ATL in his music and has been an Atlanta Hawks ambassador since he rose to fame in 2018. The rapper made a collab with the Atlanta Hawks in 2022, designing some custom pieces of clothing. His love for the team led him to buy a custom-made Atlanta Hawks logo chain covered in diamonds. Baby is still a freshman, but I expect he’ll do some great things for the Hawks as he keeps escalating in his career.
Fame Can’t Buy Championships
Some celebrities have really strong relationships with their hometown, so they stay loyal to their state teams. For example, J. Cole is a big Charlotte Hornets fan, even if the team has never won a ring. The same goes for Justin Timberlake, a Memphis Grizzlies fan who has yet to see them win a championship.
Many more entertainers represent their favorite NBA team to death, like Matt Damon, who is basically the face of the Boston Celtics in Hollywood. Damon and his friend Mark Wahlberg were even shouted down by Lakers coach Phil Jackson back in 2008 at Staples Center during the NBA Finals. The Celtics got the dub that time and won the championship.
So there it is, a testament of true celebrity fan love, but the question is: if you were famous, would you dedicate that amount of time and money to support your favorite team? If you ask me, I’m in 100%. I’ll do anything to see the Celtics courtside.
