Celebrity Lakers Fans Expected to Be Out in Full Force for NBA Finals

Game one of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers is scheduled to occur tonight at 9 P.M. ET. The matchup is a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals, which the Celtics won over the Lakers in six games. On Wednesday, Celtics forward, Paul Pierce, made a condescending comment towards Lakers fans by telling members of the media, “I’m biased. I think our fans are a little bit more knowledgeable about the game. I think a lot of the celebrities come here to get out of the house and see other celebrities. Our fans come to watch the game.”

According to The Boston Herald, prominent Lakers fans include actors Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg, all of whom starred in Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award winning film, The Departed. Nicholson is the most vocal celebrity Lakers fan and he has been a fixture at his courtside seat for more than three decades. The Academy Award winning actor, who appeared at Dennis Hopper’s memorial service on Wednesday, is arguably more closely associated with the Lakers than any celebrity fan of any team in professional sports.

However, Pierce aimed his verbal venom towards celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Kristin Davis, Fergie, Hugh Hefner and Ryan Seacrest, who allegedly do not have a genuinely vested interest in the Lakers, but show up to many high profile games.