Basketball Hall of Fame honors Lee, Nicholson and other superfans

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday that it will honor film director Spike Lee, actors Jack Nicholson and Billy Crystal, and real estate developer Alan Horwitz as it welcomes its Class of 2024.

The group will be recognized at a SuperFan Gallery ceremony on Oct. 13, just hours before the Hall inducts its new class of legendary former players and coaches. Established in 2018, the SuperFan Gallery is located on the second floor of the Basketball Hall of Fame museum.

Nice announcement from @Hoophall pic.twitter.com/1Cic4OooT4

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 4, 2024

A season ticket holder of the New York Knicks since 1985, Lee signed the morning after New York won the 1985 NBA draft lottery to earn the right to draft then-Georgetown Hoyas star Patrick Ewing. Lee, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker who is also one of the league’s most visible fans, famously wowed Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller at Madison Square Garden when the guard erupted for a fourth-quarter 25 points during Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Championship. Conference Finals.

Nicholson is one of the most recognizable members of the Los Angeles Lakers’ star-studded fan base. He has been a season ticket holder since the 1970s, before the team’s hallowed Showtime era. The three-time Oscar winner likes to sit next to the visiting team’s bench in his signature sunglasses and is known to adjust his filming schedule to ensure he can make it to as many Lakers games as possible.

Crystal grew up in New York, but his die-hard love for the LA Clippers dates back to their time as a franchise in San Diego in the late 1970s. The “When Harry Met Sally” and “City Slickers” star even announced a Clippers-Lakers matchup in 2018, along with longtime play-by-play man Ralph Lawler. He has been a mainstay as the team continues to compete for its first conference or league crown.

Horwitz has been a Philadelphia 76ers season ticket holder for more than sixty years, dating back to the 1960s when the club played its games at the Philadelphia Convention Hall and the Civic Center.