Even if your team flunked out, even if you've got no pony in the race and you're tired of the matchups (yep, Celtics and Heat again...), there's one good reason to keep watching the 2023 NBA playoffs. His name is Jack Nicholson and he's been sitting front row at every Los Angeles Lakers game since the '70s.
Part of the appeal is just in how unusual it is to see the reclusive 86-year-old this frequently. He keeps an incredibly low profile these days and, in fairness, why not? Nicholson's not got nothin' left to prove to no one.
But when it comes time to support his beloved Lakers, just try to keep Jack Nicholson out of the (terribly-named) Crypto.com Arena.
There's Nicholson with son Ray! There's Nicholson with a bit of casual dandruff! There's Nicholson with his signature shades! And he's even smiling on occasion!
Warms my heart. Especially since we haven't gotten this much Nicholson in years; the actor has mostly eschewed public appearances in the post-COVID era.
Arguably the biggest Lakers fan in Hollywood, Nicholson has at least attempted to be courtside at nearly every home game over the past few decades. He's as much a Lakers fixture as the players themselves.
Nicholson gets into it, too, screaming at referees and players who transgress alike. He's such a big fan that he had a stipulation built into his contract while filming 1987's Ironweed that left his schedule open whenever the Lakers played at home.
In fact, the last time that Nicholson gave any public comment about anything at all was around the time of Kobe's tragic passing in early 2020.
Anyways, because Nicholson truly couldn't care about anything besides basketball these days, his DGAF appearance at the May 20 Lakers v. Denver Nuggets playoff game was instantly memeified.
Nothing gets this guy out of bed except the Lakers, apparently. Unfortunately, they're not doing so hot in the 2023 playoffs and two of the Jokićs, the enormous brothers of Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, taunted Nicholson accordingly as he shuffled out of the stadium following the Laker's third loss of the series.
To be fair, they may have been talking to one of the other high-profile celebrities who've showed up to the Lakers' playoff games. We've witnessed surprise appearances from big names like Adele, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kim Kardashian, music exec Lou Adler, and Woody Harrelson, who chatted with Nicholson courtside after the game.
But no one is as consistent or delightfully invested in the Lakers as Jacket Nicholson. Let's hope they stay in the playoffs a little while longer, just so we can squeak out at least a few more Nicholson appearances.
