Jack Nicholson

"The NBA is wonderful. I'm a connoisseur of it in that every season is different." --Jack Nicholson

As we wait for the finals to begin, these are the types of things that we talk about.

As I sat on the plane home from Mexico last night watching the Bucket List, which was a pretty good flick (even the cheesiest message can be made somewhat badass when you have Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman conveying it), I came to a conclusion that surprised me. There are very few people out there that I would rather sit, have a few drinks, and talk about the NBA with than Jack Nicholson. Really, think about it. Certainly, there are the famous names in Celtic lore. I'd love to sit with Larry Bird, Bill Russell, or Tommy Heinsohn. But, can you imagine a character more intriguing telling you about their experiences than Nicholson?



Of all the celebrity fans out there, Jack has to be the most die-hard. The guy has been sitting courtside at Lakers games for over 30 years. For longer than I've been alive, the man has had producers changing their schedules around so that he would never have to miss one night of Magic, Kareem, James Worthy, Shaq, or (of course) Kobe Bryant. Pat Riley said that Nicholson was a complete fanatic when he arrived to the franchise in 1970, which is almost 40 years ago. Any fan who has been watching such a storied franchise from the front row for that long would be fascinating to sit and talk with. I mean, if we're going to estimate that he's had these seats since 1970, he's seen 9 championships from that front row. From the Forum and the Staples Center, the things that this guy has seen, heard, and experienced in terms of the NBA must be incredible.

On top of all of that, he's Jack Nicholson! The man has won multiple Oscar Awards. He is rumored to have slept with over 2,000 women. He lived next door to Marlon Brando. He was in Easy Rider, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the Shining, and Batman. So, as far as people that I'd like to sit and talk about the NBA with, he has to be in my top 5. Ideally, I'd like him to be drinking some Scotch, and ideally he'd belittle me as much as possible throughout our conversation.

Sort of like this, except talking about the NBA:


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And, here is one of those rare moments of enlightenment for you, courtesy of Tom Morello. Clearly not filmed by a pro, but amazing nonetheless: