'He could harass the hell out those coaches' - Why Pat Riley asked Jerry Buss to move Jack Nicholson's seat

Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson is arguably the biggest Los Angeles Lakers fan in the world. The Oscar winner has been a season ticket holder since the 1970s and has been with the Purple and Gold both in its greatest and darkest moments.

Legit fan

Pat Riley, the Lakers head coach in the Showtime era, saw Nicholson often and realized that the actor was true in his dedication to the Purple and Gold. He really loved the sport and bought those expensive season tickets not just for show, but to pledge support to his favorite team.

"Jack was a real fan," Riley said, per the Legends of Sport Podcast. "He wasn't like a super fan who's like 'Come here, look at me sitting in these courtside seats' and showing off. He was into it. He loved baiting the officials. He loved baiting the other coaches and players. He was really a basketball fanatic."

"I would say that Jack was probably part of the family. He had more contacts and relationships with the players than he did more with me."

However, Nicholson's gregarious personality sometimes got in the way of Riley's job. The Lakers were one of the most valuable teams then, and Riley, whose main task was to win as many titles as possible, did not want to mess things up. He asked Jerry Buss a special favor regarding the Hollywood legend.

"Jack was different," Riley said. "When I got there, I think Jack's seats originally were closer to the Lakers bench. I told Dr. Buss, because he would always mess with me and talk to me, 'Could we get Jack next to the visitor's bench and he could harass the hell out of those coaches and players?'"

Mooning opposing fans

Nicholson's courtside seats were promptly moved beside the visitor's bench upon Riley's request. And the decision proved to be a great one.

In one of the games of the 1984 NBA Finals, when the Lakers seemed to be losing momentum, "The Shining" actor reportedly stood, dropped his pants, and mooned the Boston fans.

There are conflicting reports of what happened. While defensive stalwart Michael Cooper said the actor did it, Celtics forward M.L. Carr said, "I don't think that would've been Jack."

The Lakers' public relations director from 1982 to 1989, Josh Rosenfeld, said the reporters were not entirely sure what Nicholson did.

"I think the writers all decided that they couldn't describe what he did, so they all agreed to write 'mooning,'" Rosenfeld said. "But maybe he did moon them as well. He was sitting behind where we were, so it's not like I could see him all the time. But during timeouts, you would hear the crowd going nuts, and it was usually because of something Jack was doing."

The 80s were a great time to be a Lakers fan, not just because they reigned supreme during those days. But also because game nights were unpredictable, especially when Nicholson was in the house.