The NBA Playoffs are in full effect, and some of the sport’s biggest fans are Black Hollywood’s hottest stars. We searched from east to west to find out who’s rooting for whom. Even President Obama is getting in on the fun, cheering on his beloved Chicago Bulls. Keep clicking to see if your favorite celeb is keeping score.
Producers Kanye West and Polow Da Don laugh while taking in the Los Angeles Lakers versus Utah Jazz game in L.A. Mr. West’s “Amazing” song from his new “808’s and Heartbreak” album is the musical backdrop for the NBA’s 2009 Playoffs campaign.
Diddy shows love to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, who’ve moved on to Round 2 of the Playoffs after dominating the Utah Jazz.
Who cares about the score when Beyoncé and Jay-Z are in the building. We can’t stop looking at what they’re wearing and how they’re interacting.
“Private Practice” star Taye Diggs is focused as the Los Angeles Lakers scrap with the Washington Wizards in Los Angeles earlier this season. Geez, the way he looks you’d think he was listening to President Obama speak or something.
No one could ever call Spike Lee a fair-weather fan. The iconic director is as passionate about his love for the New York Knicks as he is about his films.
One of the best things about a Los Angeles Lakers game—besides the talented Kobe Bryant—is seeing who’s sitting courtside. We rarely see Eddie Murphy out and about, but here he is front and center at the Staples Center in L.A. on April 19. By the look on his face, we think it’s safe to say he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Rapper and Los Angeles transplant Eve has apparently adopted the city’s Lakers as her fave basketball team. She’s been spotted at more than a few games. Here, she watched the fellas take on the Utah Jazz on April 14.
Denzel Washington proved he’s got ball skills in Spike Lee’s 1998 film “He Got Game.” The star is often seen courtside rooting for his Los Angeles Lakers, as he is here on April 14.
Jay-Z is part owner of the New Jersey Nets and a close friend of Cleveland Cavaliers phenom LeBron James, so we’ve become accustomed to seeing the hip-hop mogul in the front row checking out the action.
If you were a fan of the defunct “Dave Chappelle Show,” then you’ve heard about Prince’s love of the game. Who could forget the episode where Charlie Murphy shares a hilarious story (which was re-enacted superbly by Chappelle, who played Prince) about the Royal One challenging Charlie and his brother Eddie (yes, that Eddie) to a game of hoops—and beating them! We’re still laughing at that mess. Who knows if it’s true, but this allegedly happened in the 80’s, and during that time, anything was possible.
LL Cool J refuses to let the brothers on the court have all the fun, shown here flexing his skills at a Los Angeles Lakers versus Golden State Warriors game in L.A recently.
Talk about a triple threat! Diddy, Jay-Z and Spike Lee catch up recently while attending a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. We wonder what they’re talking about. Might there be a box-office blockbuster in the works?
It’s clear the recession hasn’t affected some of us. Diddy, while relishing front-row seats at a Knicks game at New York’s Madison Square Garden, intently counts his dough. He’s probably one of the few sports fans who can afford a hot dog and beer these days.
Sitting courtside seems to be the chic thing to do at the moment. Even Atlanta native Ciara takes time to watch a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. The talented star has made special appearances at half-time during NBA All-Star Weekend in the past.
“Ugly Betty” star America Ferrera and her friend Ryan Piers Williams were in good company in seats next to Jay-Z at a recent New York Knicks versus Los Angeles Lakers game in NYC.
Denzel Washington and son Malcolm do a little bonding while watching the Lakers battle the Miami Heat in Los Angeles. We love seeing Denzel’s pearly whites on the sidelines.
Here Denzel is again, this time with wife Pauletta. The Lakers can always count on the Washington family’s support.
When it comes to his New York Knicks, funnyman Chris Rock doesn’t joke around.
Superproducer Dr. Dre and his daughter Truly share some father-daughter time at a Los Angeles Lakers-Denver Nuggets game in Los Angeles in early April.
Comedian Bill Bellamy, left, Judge Greg Mathis, and young Hollywood hottie Tristan Wilds pay serious attention to the floor as the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors in March.
Damon Wayans flashes a grin as the Lakers battle the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles earlier this season. Famed actor Jack Nicholson, to Wayans’s left, rarely misses a Lakers game.
Whoopi Goldberg watched the action of the Lakers and the Knicks with a guest at Madison Square Garden.
Make no bones about it, Snoop Dogg, seen here checking out a game with wife Shante Broadus, is a die-hard Lakers fan.
Denzel Washington wasn’t able to make this Lakers game, but son Malcolm made sure to root for the home team in dad’s absence.
