Cam’ron says he’s taking the blame for LaMello Ball getting hit with a $100,000 fine after making a homophobic remark during a recent postgame interview. While discussing his team’s defensive performance against the Milwaukee Bucks, Ball remarked: “Yeah, we loaded up — no homo — but that’s what we wanted.” Cam discussed the situation with Mase on their sports talk show, It Is What It Is, on Tuesday.
“I blame myself, I really do, man,” he said. “I blame the east side of Harlem. You got this in Jefferson Projects probably in 1996 when we were saying this. And before that — what the fuck? God damn, we did this a long time. To be honest with you, this is why we started saying ‘pause.’ We used to say what Melo said, but we were like, ‘The people are sensitive, you get fined.’ And that’s why we don’t say it anymore.”
LaMello Ball Goes Up For A Shot Against The Brooklyn Nets
Nov 19, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) takes a shot against Brooklyn Nets forwards Dorian Finney-Smith (28) and Cameron Johnson (2) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
From there, Mase joined in to agree with Cam. “Just for that? My goodness […] I mean, people gotta be responsible for their words but I think if you know these guys are playing, it should be taken a little bit lighter. It’s not like he said it towards anybody living a certain way. He was just joking,” he said.
Cam’ron & Mase Speak On LaMelo Ball’s Fine
Ball has already apologized for the comment. “Before we get started, I just want to address the comment yesterday. I really didn’t mean anything [by it] and don’t want to offend anybody. I’ve got love for everybody, and I don’t discriminate,” he told reporters during a postgame interview after the Hornets’ loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Check out Cam’ron’s full comments on LaMelo Ball’s fine below.
The NBA and Houston Rockets collaborated to bring exciting initiatives to the AfroTech conference in Houston from Nov. 13-16. One of the key highlights was the first-ever NBA Foundation Tech Challenge, where 25 students from local universities like the University of Houston, Rice University, Prairie View A&M University, and Texas Southern University presented business ideas based on real-world challenges.
Houston Rockets CMO Julian Duncan judged the challenge, NBA All-Star Baron Davis, and Amplitude’s Nikki Lasley. Prairie View A&M took home the top prize, with each student receiving $1,000 and a scholarship funded by a $25,000 donation from Amplitude.
The NBA Foundation also sponsored 100 Houston-area students to attend AfroTech, giving them access to valuable networking opportunities and career insights from top tech professionals. On the Executive Stage, NBA President of Basketball Operations Byron Spruell, WNBA Head of League Operations Bethany Donaphin, and Rockets GM Rafael Stone participated in a panel discussing the intersection of tech and basketball, offering advice on career development.
Additionally, Baron Davis engaged in a Fireside chat about entrepreneurship and innovation, sharing his expertise on blending business and basketball.
For years, Christmas Day has been the NBA’s biggest single day on the regular season calendar. The league builds its schedule around putting five marquee matchups on Christmas, and for a long time, they only faced NFL competition when Dec. 25 fell on a Sunday.
However, the NFL has played games on Christmas each of the past four years, and the big ratings they received were too tantalizing to go back to the way things were. After insisting that they wouldn’t put games on Christmas when it lands on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the NFL changed course when Netflix came calling, offering hundreds of millions of dollars to broadcast a pair of NFL Christmas games each of the next three years. That was the NFL officially ending their détente with the NBA over Christmas, and making clear that they weren’t going to cede the holiday back to basketball.
If that wasn’t enough, the NFL decided to run up the score on the NBA over the weekend, announcing late Sunday night that Beyoncé will perform at halftime of the Ravens-Texans game in her hometown of Houston. The one thing the NBA has going for it over the NFL on Christmas is that they are on linear television, with games on ABC and ESPN, while the NFL is on a streamer (albeit the largest one there is). As we have seen with Thursday Night Football and playoff games on Peacock, there is a pretty sizable drop-off in viewership for similar marquee NFL games from linear TV to streaming. However, the way to get more people over there is to give the non-football fans a reason to want to tune-in, and a Beyoncé halftime show is a sure-fire way to add some serious attention.
NBA fans and media have called on the league to fight back and reclaim their place as the Christmas headliner, but the truth is, there’s just nothing to do when the NFL decides to plant its flag. The NBA could put together its absolute best teams and have every star healthy, get Drake and Kendrick Lamar to squash their beef at midcourt during halftime, and they would barely put a dent in the ratings for the worst possible NFL game. Add in the fact that the NFL has a pair of really good games this year — Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans — and there’s just no chance for the NBA to get its corner fully back.
Being able to add a Super Bowl-caliber halftime performer (Beyoncé literally did one back in 2013) to the Christmas slate is just another example of the NFL’s embarrassment of riches. Could the NBA try and do more to add some cultural cache to their Christmas games? Sure, they could look at adding a performer in one of the marquee games, but halftime in NBA games is shorter than in the NFL, limiting the time on a performance (and for a performance set-up). That limits what you can do, and they’re just not going to get someone at the level of Beyoncé in that same spot — it doesn’t hurt the NFL that Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z curates the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime shows.
The reality is, the NBA can’t consider the NFL a direct competitor and instead needs to figure out how they can best serve the audience that would pick watching basketball over football. There is nowhere to hide from the NFL at this point. If there is money to be made and ratings to be had, the NFL has made it very clear they will be there to scoop up as much cash and as many eyeballs as they can. The NBA has tried moving off Thursdays until the NFL season ends, and held off on marquee showcase games on weekends until after football — it’s just not worth trying to challenge the NFL’s ratings superiority, particularly when there are nights when the NFL doesn’t air games. The question for the NBA now has to be, will they let their Christmas schedule become the latest casualty?
They still have some advantages in being on ABC and ESPN rather than Netflix, but the NFL moving off TV also makes it harder to benefit from the potential for fans to bounce back-and-forth because that involves the added barrier of exiting one app and opening another. As such, the best way forward isn’t to try and beat the NFL at their own game, as that’s not possible. Instead, the NBA has to keep looking at how to create the best basketball product and present that to their audience, while figuring out how to sustainably build their fan base.
The NFL, put simply, doesn’t have to worry about the same things the NBA does right now. They can send a Giants-Panthers game, featuring two of the worst teams in the league, overseas and sell it out while millions stateside wake up and tune in. They can withstand injuries and star absences and still clean up, as tens of millions of people are going to watch Cooper Rush vs. Tommy DeVito on Thanksgiving, while the NBA faces huge backlash for the same thing.
That’s because football is king in the United States. For as much as people want to come up with a magic fix that will make the NBA suddenly explode in popularity to be alongside the NFL, that just doesn’t exist because they aren’t playing football. As such, all they can do is focus on themselves and figure out what they can do to make the product as appealing as they can, with a focus on those who want to watch basketball. They can still go up against the NFL and do well on Christmas — last year was the least-watched NBA Christmas on record, and it was still their biggest viewership day of the season. The real challenge is how they build their basketball base, because you aren’t going to win a battle for casual eyeballs going up against the NFL, and especially the NFL plus Beyoncé.
As such, the NBA has to ignore the proverbial scoreboard between them and the NFL on Christmas. It’s a fight they will never win, but also, it doesn’t have to be viewed as a fight, even though on Dec. 26, there will inevitably be dozens of posts about how the NFL dusted the NBA in ratings, with a massive peak surely coming around the time of Beyoncé’s performance. But the NBA just can’t worry about that, because the NFL beats everyone and everything in the ratings game.
Instead, they have to keep the focus on the basketball and what they can do to get the best product on the court, all while accepting that the NFL is a ratings behemoth and adjusting expectations accordingly. There isn’t a quick fix that suddenly closes that gap, but one also shouldn’t be seen as necessary from the league’s point of view, because they have an 11-year, $76 billion national TV deal locked in. ESPN will certainly want to explore avenues to boost viewership — that’s their job — but the league should be taking the long view here, and that means ignoring the idea that they should be competing in the same weight class as the NFL and figuring out instead how to entertain basketball fans.
Once the NFL season ends, the NBA still becomes the biggest game in town. It doesn’t pull in football numbers (because, again, nothing does), but the Finals still pull in 10+ million viewers a game even in a down year, and there’s plenty of interest in the playoffs. I’m loathe to agree with arguments that the sky is falling and the NBA is in some terrible position in terms of people not wanting to watch basketball anymore. That said, if they are going to keep an 82-game schedule (which naturally makes each game less intriguing than a 17-game schedule like the NFL has where, every game feels vital to your chances at the playoffs) that starts in football season, they have to figure out how to raise the value of those games for the viewer, and that starts with raising their value to the players.
The NBA Cup is a great example of that, as they’ve gotten the buy-in from the players necessary to give November and December basketball some stakes that it previously lacked, and the result has been really fun basketball. The Christmas Day games also still matter to players, even if they’re no longer in a complete standalone spot on the sports calendar, but the truth is, the NBA has to be even smarter about who they put on the Christmas schedule. They can’t risk a repeat of last year’s Heat-Sixers game without Joel Embiid or Jimmy Butler, which made that the least-watched Christmas game in history, and this year they seem to have learned a lesson, pairing a team whose interest is driven by a single star (the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama) against a legacy franchise (the Knicks) that have a built-in floor for viewership.
I also think the NBA can look at this as an opportunity now to take some swings, knowing the NFL is going to hold casual eyeballs, and give some up-and-coming teams (say, the Thunder) a little bit of shine in hopes of delivering better games. Bank on better basketball to bring people in, rather than just hoping for star power, especially as the generation led by LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant that has always been able to bring in eyeballs ages out. And of course, try to provide a highly-competitive game for your basketball diehards to enjoy, because who knows? If the NFL game is a dud, you might even get people flipping over once Beyoncé steps off the stage.
Former NBA player Kyle Singler has fans worried about his mental health after sharing a video of himself shirtless, ranting about fearing for his life. The video began circulating online, this week, five years after he last played for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I have been mistreated and abused, neglected, made into a mental example,” Singler said in the post. “And I fear for my life every day. And people in my community make me look out as if I’m going to be someone that’s going to be a problem and make things difficult for people when I’m only trying to be helpful. I feel like I have a certain way about myself and strength and purpose that does not get valued or get treated properly.”
Apr 19, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kyle Singler (15) leaves the game during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
In response to the clip, several NBA players have reached out with supportive messages. “I love you Kyle. Hit me whenever. Please,” Kevin Love wrote. Andre Drummond added: “You aren’t alone brother! I’m here for you.” Chandler Parsons also called for the league to get him help: “HELP @NBA @TheNBPA. @KyleSingler needs you. we’re with you buddy.”
Kyle Singler Sparks Concern
Later, Kevin Love shared a lengthier message about his relationship with Singler. “To everyone who has spent time with Kyle Singler and whose lives he has touched – please shower him with the love and support he needs+deserves,” he said. “I would not be who I am today without him. I am forever indebted and love him. To the NBA family, Duke BB family, & South Medford community – let’s show up for one of our own.” Check out Singler’s video on social media below.
Bronny James has been assigned to the NBA’s G-League to play for the South Bay Lakers, NBA reports. Earlier reports indicated LeBron James’ son would play in the development league after being drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers. After improving in the preseason, the 20-year-old USC shooting guard made history in October by becoming the first father-son pair to play in the NBA. Bronny has been one of the organizaton’s biggest attractions so far.
Bronny James played in four games since October, including a homecoming against the Cavilers, and averaged 1 point, 0.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 0.2 assists. The number of his jersey is inspired by the late recording artist JuiceWrld. Rich Paul, the agent of LeBron James and Bronny’s agent, claimed that the NBA star played better than most of the brench. Bronny signed a four-year, 7.9 million dollar deal with the Lakers in July – according to ESPN.
Bronny Reports To The “South Bay” Lakers For Development
LeBron’s son heads to the G-League while the icon continues to dominate the NBA as the oldest active player. In his sixth year with the Lakers – 22 years in the NBA – James has averaged 24 points and 6 rebounds. The small forward is on pace to achieve over 40,000 points in the NBA. James led the Lakers to an NBA championship in 2020.
King James prepared his son well as the newcomer embarks on his rookie season. Before playing against the Sacremento Kings in the season opener, LeBron told his son, “You about ready? You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree, tho. Don’t worry about mistakes, just go out and play hard.” Was Bronny playing in the G-League always the plan? How is LeBron still playing at an elite level? Do we still want the father and son duo to play a whole season together? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Houston Rocket’s Fred VanVleet commented on new Texan Drake‘s caution regarding the Toronto Raptors hanging Demar DeRozan‘s jersey in their rafters when he retires on Draymond Green’s podcast. Drake’s actions and comments toward DeRozan at Sacramento Kings against the Toronto Raptors last week went viral, with the Raptor’s ambassador claiming he would pull down Demar’s jersey should the team retire it with the organization. “If you put up a banner and, I’ll personally pull it down,” said Drizzy when asked about DeRozan by commentators.
A trending topic, Draymond asked VanVleet, a former Raptors player before signing a massive deal with the Rockets, if DeMar DeRozan, now playing for the Kings, can have his jersey retired with the Raptors. When asked about DeRozan’s retirement, Fred VanVleet said: “Yeah, I think it should. I think it should. I think that when you look at what he did, you know, especially when you want to give the history of the franchise and what Vince and all of those guys meant at the beginning and what that meant for Canadian basketball.”
Drake and Demar’s issues stem from the Compton-bred basketball star’s appearance in the music video for the Drizzy diss track “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. In previous interviews, Demar shared that he appeared in the video because of his West Coast roots but did not have an issue with Drake. Many believe that Drake lost the iconic clash against Kendrick Lamar with “Not Like Us,” which spawned an Amazon-presented concert that united Los Angeles hip-hop. Demar responded to Drake’s comment about retirement after the game by saying, “He going to have a long way to climb to take it down.”
VanVleet played for the Raptors from 2016 to 2023. Traded to the Rockets in 2023, Drizzy made headlines trolling Fred during a regular-season game against the Raptors. Drake refers to Fred as his “look-alike.” Hip-hop shared mixed reviews of Drake’s antics towards the basketball stars. Do you think Demar will retire in Toronto? Will the 6 God seriously rip down the jersey if Toronto hangs it in their rafters? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Stephen A Smith referenced Ice Cube’s iconic diss track, “No Vaseline,” to respond to Kevin Durant calling him a “clown” in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday night. “As the great @icecube said in ‘No Vaseline, @KDTrey5 …’Damn I’m glad y’all went and set it off.’ See y’all tomorrow,” Smith wrote. Durant had discussed the ESPN pundit during an interview with The Athletic, earlier in the day.
Fans had mixed responses to Smith standing up for himself in the replies. “He’s right though you always talking from outside the window never played pro ball but always got something to say,” one user wrote. Another joked: “Go on Stephen! Shout em down and tell them how you were 2nd team all league in high school.”
Nov 2, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles through the screen set by center Jusuf Nurkić (20) in the first half during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images
As for Durant’s comments, he voiced his frustration with Smith and other commentators criticizing his leadership skills. “Yeah, Stephen A., I don’t understand how people even listen to Stephen A.,” he told the outlet. “I’ve been in the league for 18 years, I’ve never seen Stephen A. at a practice, or a film session, or a shoot-around. I’ve never seen him anywhere but on TV talking s— about players. … He’s a clown to me. He’s always been a clown. You can write that, too.”
Stephen A Smith Responds To Kevin Durant
Check out Smith’s full response to Durant on X below. It comes as the Suns improved to 5-1 with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. Their next game will be against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. Be on the lookout for further updates on Stephen A Smith and Kevin Durant on HotNewHipHop.
Joel Embiid allegedly got into a physical altercation with Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marcus Hayes after the Philadelphia 76ers’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Embiid became upset with Hayes and an argument ensued which eventually turned physical. The NBA is reportedly investigating the incident.
Hayes published a column for the Inquirer, criticizing Embiid for his work ethic while referencing his son and late brother. “Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his basketball career. He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother, who tragically died in an automobile accident when Embiid was in his first year as a 76er. Well, in order to be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid has been great at just the opposite,” Hayes wrote in the controversial piece.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – OCTOBER 27: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on October 27, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Prior to the incident, Embiid fired back at his critics bringing up his work ethic and targeted Hayes specifically. “When I see people say ‘he does not wanna play,’ I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk for people to be saying that,” Embiid said on Friday. “I do think this is bulls***. Like that dude, he’s not here, Marcus, I’ve done way too much for this f***ing city to be treated like this. Done way too f***ing much. I wish I was as lucky as the other ones, but that does not mean I’m not doing whatever it takes to be out there, which I’m gonna be.”
Joel Embiid Goes After Columnist
Footage of the incident has yet to surfaced but check out Charania’s report below. With the loss, the 76ers fell to 1-4 on the season. Be on the lookout for further updates on Joel Embiid on HotNewHipHop.
76ers’ Joel Embiid got in an altercation with a columnist following tonight’s game in Philadelphia. Embiid took issue with a recent column that referenced his late brother and son, and Embiid shoved the columnist. No punch.
The NBA has officially premiered The HEIST II, which is now available across all NBA social and digital platforms. The film celebrates the upcoming 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, which kicks off on Tuesday, Nov. 12, with a thrilling doubleheader. The action begins with the New York Knicks facing the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Golden State Warriors taking on the Dallas Mavericks at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.
The HEIST II, set again in Las Vegas, picks up where last season’s campaign left off. It opens with reigning NBA Cup Champion Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, who is seen guarding the coveted NBA Cup trophy in his penthouse suite. Unbeknownst to Davis, five NBA All-Stars—Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, and Jamal Murray—are plotting to steal the trophy.
The film features Emmy Award-winning actor Michael Imperioli reprising his role as the heist’s mastermind, joined this time by award-winning actress Rosario Dawson. As the All-Stars employ elaborate decoys and disguises and even swim through the Bellagio Fountain, Dawson and Imperioli stay two steps ahead, swiping the trophy and leaving the players with no choice but to compete for it once again.
The HEIST II sets the stage for what promises to be an exciting NBA Cup season.
With the Boston Celtics raising banner 18 in the TD Garden on Tuesday night as they host the Knicks, the 82-game marathon that is the NBA regular season will officially get underway. That means a return to the floor from the best men’s basketball players on earth, and their presence on the hardwood always brings out stars from the world of entertainment, music, and other sports to watch them do what they do best. There are some teams like the Lakers and Knicks that have dozens of celebrities seated courtside on most game nights, while smaller markets tend to have fewer stars with their feet on the floor, but there’s a star out there that represents for each of the 30 teams in the league.
Here we wanted to take a look at the biggest celebrity fan of every team, with a few ground rules in place. For one, we tried our best not to include a celebrity that’s part of the current ownership group. We also aren’t including former players as celebrities — for instance, Shaq does not count — and aren’t going with active athletes who have just adopted a team in the city they currently play for. Finally, for the teams with a lot of celebrity fans, we lean on the frequency you see them at games and how long they’ve been a regular at the arena break ties.
Atlanta Hawks: 2 Chainz
There are a ton hip-hop artists that you could argue in this spot, but the tiebreaker in this space goes to the celebrity you will most often see courtside repping their team. In Atlanta, that means Mr. Tity Two Necklace, who has been a staple courtside with his kids at State Farm Arena for years. He is involved as an owner with the G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, but not with the big club, so he earns this spot.
Boston Celtics: Ben Affleck
Take your pick of Affleck, Matt Damon, or Mark Wahlberg. The tiebreaker here is tough because none of them are in Boston at games all that often, but Affleck is almost always courtside for a Lakers-Celtics game in L.A. so we’ll give him the nod here. Also his deep affection for Kendrick Perkins is something that only a true, diehard Celtics fan could have.
Brooklyn Nets: Jay-Z
Jay-Z is no longer the owner of the Nets so he qualifies here, and while he’s not a nightly presence at Barclays Center, he still pops up and is, without question, the most famous person associated with the franchise. I will say, the funniest answer I found in my research was that if you do a Getty Images search for “celebrities attend Brooklyn Nets” you will get pictures of Ben Simmons seated on the Nets bench in street clothes listed as a celebrity.
Charlotte Hornets: J Cole
I don’t think there’s any real competition here, but the North Carolina native proudly reps his Hornets. The best part of being a Hornets fan is not the joy they give you on the basketball court, but the joy wearing a retro Hornets Starter jacket provides and J Cole takes advantage of that.
Chicago Bulls: Barack Obama
The more common courtside fan is, well, Common, but he just cannot touch the level of fame of the former President of the United States. Obama loves his hoops and specifically his Bulls, and I’d love to get his honest thoughts on Jerry Reinsdorf one day.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Drew Carey
With respect to Machine Gun Kelly, it’s gotta be Drew Carey. I don’t think any famous person has ever ridden harder for the city of Cleveland than Drew, and the Price is Right host loves him some Cavs basketball.
Dallas Mavericks: Patrick Mahomes
It helps him that Kansas City doesn’t have an NBA team so he can stay true to his Mavs roots, but Mahomes is one of a few active athletes who has stayed a true diehard of a team from outside the city he plays in and regularly pops up at games. He’s a pretty frequent courtside patron of Mavs games, taking advantage of the fact that the NFL season ends right when the NBA’s stretch run gets going. He’s not the first quarterback to be a regular presence at Mavs games. Remember when Tony Romo suited up for the Mavs one time and got a full intro with the team and everything? That was wild, and now that Mark Cuban’s not running the show, I doubt Mahomes will ever get that kind of opportunity.
Denver Nuggets: Peyton Manning
Denver doesn’t have a ton of celebs, but the former Broncos QB has adopted Denver as his home and pops up courtside to watch Nikola Jokic and company fairly regularly.
Detroit Pistons: Eminem
Like Atlanta, there are a handful of Detroit artists that you’ll find at Pistons games, but while Eminem isn’t a frequent patron of Little Caesars Arena, he is by far the most famous of the celebs that support the Pistons.
Golden State Warriors: Guy Fieri and E-40
I’m making it a tie between Guy and 40 because this feels like a #TwoAmericas situation. At this point I think on the whole Fieri is more famous, but E-40 is an absolute legend and a constant presence at Warriors games so we’ll pick them both.
Houston Rockets: Travis Scott
Travis Scott rides with his hometown team and has been a regular at the Toyota Center even through some lean post-James Harden years. That’s not always the case with celebrity fans, but Cactus Jack is not a fair weather supporter.
Indiana Pacers: David Letterman
It’s either Letterman or Jesse Eisenberg in this spot, and I feel like the former Late Night host is more popular and loves to represent for Indianapolis. Also, he also once asked Kevin Durant why people call him KD in a press conference while he was on the Nets, which has little to do with the Pacers but I would feel remiss if I didn’t mention it here.
Los Angeles Clippers: Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal is in the Basketball Hall of Fame now for his Clippers fandom, which makes it pretty easy to choose him for this spot, but honestly that is an honor that should be bestowed upon anyone that had Clippers season tickets in the 90s and early 2000s.
Los Angeles Lakers: Jack Nicholson
There are few places on earth where you can find more famous people in one room than at a Lakers game on any given night. And yet, out of all of celebrities you’ll find courtside at a Lakers game, the only answer here is Jack, who also joined Crystal and Spike Lee going into the Hall of Fame this year as superfans.
Memphis Grizzlies: GloRilla
Justin Timberlake isn’t eligible given he’s part of the ownership group, and there are a lot of Memphis artists that could stake claim to this spot. For this season, we’ll go with the biggest rising star from the Memphis rap scene, GloRilla, provided her allegiance hasn’t flipped to Damian Lillard’s Bucks.
Miami Heat: DJ Khaled
The Heat have a number of famous folks roll through their games, but no one is a more regular fixture courtside at the Kaseya Center than DJ Khaled (and sometimes his shoe pillow).
Milwaukee Bucks: Sheryl Crow
There are not a lot of options for Milwaukee — which, hey, if you’re a celebrity looking to become the most famous fan of a team, that’s a pretty good bandwagon to jump on — but we’ll go with Sheryl Crow who was a regular during the Bucks title run in 2021. Gucci Mane was also on the bandwagon for the Bucks then, which was perhaps just something he did to spite Drake.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Jimmy Jam
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer might not be a household name to a younger generation, but the legendary songwriter and former collaborator with Prince and Morris Day has been a regular at Bucks game since the franchise arrived in Minneapolis.
New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Mackie
There are some New Orleans artists like Juvenile and Curren$y that certainly could stake a claim here, but Anthony Mackie has a bit of a broader audience by way of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The New Orleans native has been riding with the Pelicans for years, and the new lead of the Captain America franchise rocks very heavy with New Orleans sports.
New York Knicks: Spike Lee
Spike is the best known celebrity fan in the NBA, period, and there is no other answer in New York. Even with some other very famous diehards (shouts to Ben Stiller, who only tweets about charity work, his movies, and the Knicks), it’s Spike by a mile. No one else becomes a central figure, for better or worse, more often than Spike when courtside.
Orlando Magic: Tiger Woods
Tiger doesn’t frequent the Kia Center much anymore, but he used to be a staple at Orlando games and he is, without question, the most famous person to ever regularly support the Magic. Maybe with their resurgence behind Paolo Banchero, the Big Cat will return courtside more often.
Philadelphia 76ers: Kevin Hart
The Sixers are sneakily a really tough choice. We go with Hart because no one is more vocal (shocker) about their Sixers fandom than the comedian, but he’s got stiff competition from Meek Mill and M. Night Shyamalan, the latter of whom goes to more Sixers games than just about anyone. Also, because he is a minority owner of the team (and also rarely at games), Will Smith is not eligible here.
Phoenix Suns: Alice Cooper
We’ll give Cooper the nod over Phil Mickelson and David Spade here. He doesn’t go to games quite as much anymore, but the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is a long-time Suns fan and has performed at some Suns games in the past.
Portland Trail Blazers: Ty Burrell
The options here are Ty Burrell (most famously Phil from Modern Family), Danger Ehren from Jackass, or comedian Ian Karmel. I think Modern Family has the largest reach, so we’ll go with Burrell, but shouts to Danger Ehren, who was putting up Wilt numbers in Jackass Forever.
The Spurs still get use out of a GIF from years ago of Selena Gomez proudly showing off her Spurs jersey courtside, so even though she hasn’t been to a game in awhile (that there’s photos of on Getty, at least), she still is the biggest celebrity to rep the Spurs.
Toronto Raptors: Drake
There’s not really any competition in Toronto, where it’s very clearly Drake. He is constantly seated courtside, hops on the broadcast just to chop it up with the announce team sometimes, serves as a team ambassador, and pretty regularly collaborates with the Raptors for merch with his OVO line.
Utah Jazz: Gabrielle Union?
I gotta be honest, it’s very hard to find a celebrity Jazz fan that is not part of the ownership group in some way, so I’m going to finally cheat here and say Gabrielle Union-Wade who was at Jazz Summer League games (!) with her husband, Dwyane Wade who has a minority stake in the team.
Washington Wizards: Wolf Blitzer
Wale also has a claim here, but Wolf Blitzer is always at Wizards games and for some reason it makes me very happy that Wolf is just a diehard Wizards fan.
