Celebrities
Jack Nicholson makes rare public appearance at Los Angeles Lakers game
There was a special fan in attendance for the Lakers big win over the Grizzlies, as Jack Nicholson was spotted courtside.
Jack Nicholson was all smiles as he took in the Los Angeles Lakers and their big playoff win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers moved on thanks to a dominant 125-85 victory to seal their spot in the Western Conference Semifinals. They’ll play one of the Sacramento Kings or the Golden State Warriors, with those two teams set for Game 7 in their first round series on Sunday.
Nicholson’s appearance at Friday night’s game was his first public appearance since he took in a Lakers game with son Ray back in October 2021.
Nicholson spotted smiling and talking to stars
The 86-year-old was in a joyous mood for the occasion as he returned to his normal courtside seat.
“Welcome back,” a reporter said to him as he took a seat.
Nicholson was also spotted shaking hands with Larry David, co-creator of Seinfeld and the star of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, before the game.
The three time Oscar-winner, who wore a pair of burgundy pants and a black shirt under a navy suit jacket, also shared a hug with LeBron as he went through his warmup routine prior to tipoff.
Nicholson, who wore a pair of binoculars, was even welcomed back by the Lakers themselves, as the team showed a montage of his classic films on the arena’s scoreboard.
The video, which included images of Nicholson from his famous roles in ‘The Shining’ and ‘Batman’, received a loud applause from those in attendance.
Nicholson and the Lakers go way back
Although Nicholson has steered clear of attending Lakers games in recent years, he has a long history of taking in games from his courtside seat.
A season ticket holder since 1970, Nicholson was a regular fixture at games during the late 1990s and 2000s.
He even famously changed his filming schedules just to make sure he could be in attendance for any big Lakers games.
Along with roles in ‘The Shining’ and ‘Batman’, Nicholson has also starred in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, ‘The Bucket List’ and more.
He has received 12 Oscar nominations over the course of his career, winning for ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, ‘Terms of Endearment’ and ‘As Good as It Gets’.