Drake, Spike Lee and Rihanna: Five times celebrities became part of the game

Thomas Lott

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Drake, Spike Lee and Rihanna: Five times celebrities became part of the game image

Sitting courtside at an NBA game has a special feel to it.

You're up close and personal with the players, oftentimes interacting with them every once in a while, and you start to feel a bit entitled.

Add that to the fact that you probably paid good money for those tickets and you really can start to feel like Ari Gold in Entourage.

"I paid two grand for these seats, I'll get out there and launch a 3 if I want."

Drake became part of the narrative in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals this week as Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer decided to address the situation the other day.

So, what are some of the most notable times celebrities got involved in the game?

Five times celebrities became part of the game

1. Spike Lee, 1994 NBA playoffs

Probably the most famous celebrity interaction with a player came when director Spike Lee got into it with Pacers shooting guard Reggie Miller.

With the Pacers down to Lee's Knicks at Madison Square Garden in the 1994 NBA playoffs, Lee started to get cocky and taunt Miller from his courtside seat.

All Miller did was go off for 24 points in the fourth quarter as the the Pacers came back to beat the Knicks.

Lee was then on the cover of tabloids taking blame for the loss and became as much a focus of the series as the games themselves.

Fortunately for Lee, who showed up to Indiana for the next game, the Knicks were able to come back and win, otherwise the director may have never gotten to go back to MSG for fear of retribution from angry Knicks fans.

2. Rihanna vs. Kevin Durant, 2017 NBA Finals

This one was a bit more fleeting than Lee, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

Rihanna, a noted LeBron James fan, was courtside for a game at Oracle Arena during the 2017 NBA Finals.

From her seat she stood and yelled at Durant throughout the night, prompting a staredown from the Warriors star after a late 3-pointer.

Rihanna even reportedly yelled "Brick!" when Durant was at the free-throw line, which again prompted a stare from Durant.

Unfortunately for Rihanna, the Warriors went on to win the game and the series in five games over James' Cavaliers.

3. Drake vs. the Bucks, 2019 Eastern Conference finals

This one is the freshest in everyone's mind and one of the more bizarre ones, at that.

Drake — noted rapper and sports jinx — is a hardcore supporter of his Raptors and routinely makes appearances courtside at the team's games.

Drake has been seen yelling at players from his courtside seat and was even caught giving a shoulder rub to Toronto coach Nick Nurse.

The rapper's actions have elicited comments from both Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer and Giannis Antetokounmpo's former agent.

Either way, this series isn't over yet and Drake will get at least one more chance to annoy the Bucks courtside in Toronto. We'll see, though, if he makes an appearance in Milwaukee in Game 5, which may make this an even more entertaining saga.

4. Drake vs. Kendrick Perkins, 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals

We couldn't put Drake on this list just once because he's at games so often he has more of a chance to become involved.

Probably Drake's most notable — and ill-advised — foray into getting involved in games was his standoff with Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins during the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Drake got into an argument with Perkins before the center made his way into the locker room at halftime and the two had to be separated before the big man took action against the rapper.

And from what is understood around the NBA, this was not the player to mess with and Drake got lucky it didn't go further.

“I’m fine,” Perkins said at the time. “What’s he going to do?”

5. Jack Nicholson vs. Scottie Pippen, 1991 NBA Finals

There are always plenty of celebrities in attendance for Lakers games and Jack Nicholson is a staple at the Staples Center.

The second-best Joker loves to get involved courtside yelling at referees and players and often finds himself on replays on Sportscenter.

But one moment he probably would have preferred not to have been caught on camera was when he flipped the bird to Scottie Pippen during the 1991 NBA Finals.

Or he was just scratching his neck. You can make the choice on what he did below, but we do warn you, the middle finger does make an appearance.

This incident being caught on tape, though, has not kept Nicholson from being active on the sideline and it's likely he will continue to be so even into his old age.

And honestly, we don't think Pippen really cared as the Bulls went on to win the Finals over the Lakers in five games.

Thomas Lott