COURTSIDE CONNECTION

Top 5 Celebrity Fans.

By TIM DAVID HARVEY

Who says celebrities are fake? NBA T.V. catch glimpses of Hollywood's finest in the NBA stages around America, and they may love the game as much as we do. Still, how do we separate the real from the fake?

Famous or otherwise, every die-hard sports fan needs to be appreciated, from Bruce Willis to all the extras.

This is the definitive list of the most devoted famous fans.

HONOURABLE MENTION

From Billy Crystal (who got closer still by playing a referee in the film Forget Paris) to Michael Keaton and Sylvester Stallone to Andy Garcia, some of Hollywood's oldest basketball fans have held court for decades.

Speaking of Laker fans, Leonardo DiCaprio is so devoted he could soon take Departed co-star Jack Nicholson's courtside seat as well as his acting throne.

You can almost always find Denzel Washington courtside—"Cap on, brim bent, Denzel, every time," like rapper Drake says.

You can find Drake himself, his Young Money mentor, Lil' Wayne, and a whole host of hip-hop heavyweight, hoop heads who are never too far from the action. Rap moguls Diddy and Jermaine Dupri are all business when it comes to basketball.

Other musicians rock with basketball too. Who can forget the Lakers-mad Red Hot Chili Peppers, who once wrote a song called "Magic Johnson" and even performed a "Salute To Kareem".

When they're not working in their respective fields, sport stars Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens, David Beckham and others turn into fans.

Chris Rock and Larry David always like to raise a few laughs, even if it's at the referees' or players' expense.

Also who could forget how much the Kardashians keep up with basketball?

They do so as much as the most famous and important basketball fan, President Barack Obama.

5. EVA LONGORIA

Forget the Matt Barnes rumours or how things ended with Tony Parker. That has nothing to do with how Eva keeps it more real than most fans with her love for this game.

From wearing all the jerseys to hanging out with all the stars, like the Beckhams or Jamie Foxx, the Desperate Housewives star attends for more than show. You can tell she's a true fan by the way she talks the talk about how the NBA walks the walk.

Plus, she's by far the best looking thing courtside, sometimes taking attention off what happens on court.

You can't doubt her devotion, the only question that remains is: where will we see her seated once the new season rolls around?

4. JAY-Z

It doesn't get much better than courtside season tickets, right? WRONG! Jay-Z doesn't just watch his favourite team—he owns them.

He's done more than that, too. He used to just take Beyonce (who deserves an honourable fan mention) to every game, now he's taken his New Jersey Nets to all sorts of places. Brooklyn, to be exact.

Jay-Z has gone from being a major rapper to a major player in this basketball business, making major moves like taking his favourite team to the borough he grew up in.

Jay-Z's "Empire State Of Mind" shows he really does "Run This Town."

3. JIMMY GOLDSTEIN

How about Goldstein? A guy who has become a celebrity because of how many games he attends, and his strange outfits show how this NBA fan's wardrobe is really "where amazing happens." Jimmy's even made Lil' Wayne lyrics and probably could sell the hip-hop star a better seat or two.

From his fedora to his leather pants, you can find Goldstein outfitted at most games. He's a Lakers season ticket holder since the days of Wilt Chamberlain, and his house is even better than the Stilt's former home. I guess letting his house be filmed in movies like The Big Lebowski, real estate or whatever he does for work really does pay.

This guy flies around America like his name is Tony Stark during the playoffs to catch three games in a day and even goes to Clippers games. Now, that's dedication from a true iron man fan.

2. JACK NICHOLSON

Heeeeere's Johnny! If you don't know that Mr. Nicholson is fond of Mr. Laker, then you don't know Jack.

The sight of the legendary actor in his iconic shades at Staples Centre is one that the binoculars focus in on nearly as much as the players. The courtside seat that Jack built needs to have a statue there one day.

Jack Nicholson is in the game like EA Sports—every game and season, arguing with referees and cheering on players. The Hollywood heavyweight even works his films around his schedule...his Lakers schedule. Jack even travels to other cities to catch his beloved purple and gold.

Back in the eighties, he was in Boston more than when he filmed The Departed. The fans love him so much that even the Celtics made a playful T-shirt about him during one of the playoffs.

Nicholson wears the Lakers name with pride every time he plants himself down in his bleacher. They say fans are the extension of a team. Forget Lamar Odom for a second, Jack Nicholson is the Los Angeles Lakers' sixth man.

1. SPIKE LEE

The image of Spike Lee courtside at Madison Square Garden is almost iconic as the man himself. From trash talking with Reggie Miller to high fiving Patrick Ewing, from throwing his Larry Johnson L's up to throwing his hands in the air and burying his face when Jordan came to town and buried his team, Spike's been there for his New York Knicks.

Watching the games like he directs his movies, this focused fan is like a coach out there. If he did take the helm, he could write the happy ending these 'Bockers deserve.

But Lee looks even more like a player, draped in a jersey and so much other Knicks gear as if he was trying to sell merchandise.

Lee has stepped away from the Knicks to film Kobe Bryant at Staples for the documentary Kobe Doin' Work, a player who, like Mike, has repeatedly slaughtered Spike's beloved Knicks.

How's that for dedication to the game?

Spike may have spent some time with the purple and gold, but he knows to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. Spike Lee bleeds orange and blue through and through.

The back of this director's courtside chair should read "Spike." It's his.