Jack Nicholson Returns to Courtside for Lakers’ Playoff Game

Actor Jack Nicholson attends Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, April 28, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP)
Actor Jack Nicholson attends Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, April 28, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP)
TT

Jack Nicholson Returns to Courtside for Lakers’ Playoff Game

Actor Jack Nicholson attends Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, April 28, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP)
Actor Jack Nicholson attends Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, April 28, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP)

Jack is back.

Los Angeles Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson was watching at courtside for the first time in nearly two years Friday night when his team hosted the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series.

The 86-year-old Nicholson hadn’t been in his usual seats in the Lakers’ downtown arena since last season’s opening game in October 2021, but the three-time Academy Award-winning actor returned to his famed spot near the opposing bench with his son.

Nicholson was a fixture in the last half-century of Lakers history, cheering on the team through several eras of success after getting his season tickets in 1970. He was the most prominent face in the Lakers’ gallery of celebrity fans, his sunglasses and famous grin ever-present at courtside — and occasionally on the court if he was particularly displeased by an official’s call.

Nicholson cheered while the Showtime Lakers racked up championships and captured Hollywood’s imagination, and he remained an avid fan while they won five more titles in the Kobe Bryant era. He famously adjusted his shooting schedules and personal meetings to keep himself free to catch every big Lakers game.

Nicholson rarely attended games after fans returned to the Lakers’ building following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the chance to watch the Lakers attempt to win a playoff series at home for the first time since 2013 was irresistible to their No. 1 fan.



Oscars Host Conan O’Brien, Still Displaced by Wildfires, Says the Show Is Being Planned Sensitively

 Conan O'Brien attends the premiere of "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Library Theatre in Park City, Utah. (AP)
Conan O'Brien attends the premiere of "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Library Theatre in Park City, Utah. (AP)
TT

Oscars Host Conan O’Brien, Still Displaced by Wildfires, Says the Show Is Being Planned Sensitively

 Conan O'Brien attends the premiere of "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Library Theatre in Park City, Utah. (AP)
Conan O'Brien attends the premiere of "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Library Theatre in Park City, Utah. (AP)

Oscars host Conan O'Brien says he's still unable to live in his home due to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and that the show's organizers “want to be sensitive to what's happened” to residents.

“Everybody I know has been affected,” O'Brien told The Associated Press Friday. “I’m out of my house. Fortunately, my house, ... the fire got very close but my house survived. But we won’t be back in there for a long time. And I’m the lucky one. I mean, I know so many people who lost their homes and I’m just, was ridiculously lucky. So we want to make sure that that show reflects what’s happening and that we put a light on the right people in the right way.”

Thousands of Angelenos had their homes destroyed in wildfires that tore through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods this month. Many of those whose homes survived cannot yet return due to smoke or other damage.

O'Brien was tapped last year to host the 97th Academy Awards, which will be held March 2 in Los Angeles. The fires twice postponed the academy's nominations announcement, which was held Thursday; “Emilia Pérez” emerged as the leading nominee.

The fires have upended Hollywood's awards season and effectively turned it into a pledge drive. Some have questioned whether the Oscars should be canceled but its organizers say they will transform the show in a way that “unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.”

“We want to be sensitive to the moment and we want to be sensitive to what’s happened,” O'Brien said Friday. “It is top of our minds and we are talking about it a lot.”

“The Oscars is still I think it’s five weeks away. And we want to make sure that we process all of that and that we put on the best show for March 2. Not the best show that we thought of tonight. Not the best show for March 3, the best show for March 2 that reflects what people are feeling in that moment.”

O'Brien, the former “Tonight Show” host, spoke at the premiere of his latest film, “If I had Legs I'd Kick You,” which also stars Rose Byrne.