James Goldstein: The Ultimate NBA Fan
Do you know who the biggest NBA fan of all time is? No it's not Spike Lee, Jack Nicholson, or Champagne Papi. It’s the great, yet somewhat mysterious James(Jim) Goldstein. A few weeks ago I had the privilege of interviewing the world's biggest basketball fan via a 45-minute phone call to hear more about his relationship with the game.
When you go to Jim’s instagram bio, it reads “fashion, basketball, and architecture”. Off the court, Mr.Goldstein has been present at a number of fashion shows and has been quite expressive through his bold outfits on the runway. And his original sense of style translates in architecture as well with the Sheats-Goldstein residence designed by the great John Lautner has grown to be a staple for the city of Los Angeles. The property overlooks an incredible view of the city from the hills and includes a tennis court, movie theater, and a one-of-a kind nightclub meant for the city's finest. You may recognize the home in a Snoop Dogg music video, a Kobe Bryant photoshoot, or from a live Lady Gaga performance(yes in his home).
Although Jim takes great pride in his reputation in fashion and the work in his home, he’s just as passionate on the hardwood. “At the age of 15 I used to keep stats for the Milwaukee Hawks and fell in love with the game”, said Goldstein. “I remember I was in college when Wilt scored 100, I was always more of a Wilt fan than a (Bill) Russell fan” when asked to reminisce on the two players. The NBA fanatic has witnessed some incredible moments, possibly all of them. Over the years, Goldstein was recognized by David Stern as “The world's greatest investor in NBA tickets”, owning courtside seats with both the Lakers & Clippers. But that's not all, as the fashionista is committed to fly anywhere and pay big bucks to see a good game live even outside of LA. You would assume he would be a fan of those two teams right? Well that’s not the case as Goldstein has made it clear he is an NBA fan and has no bias towards any city.
Original Image via Andrew Bernstein, courtesy of Getty Images
He’s built relationships with others in the entertainment space over the years because of his seats including Lil Wayne, Rihanna, Jack Nicholson, Spike Lee and more. Jimmy has even become friendly with arguably the greatest rapper of all-time, Drake. “I actually saw him a few days ago, he’s doing really well.” Goldstein shared he also enjoys when the Lakers/Clippers play the Knicks so he and Spike Lee can catch up. Oh and did we mention, Jim was inducted in the NBA Hall Of Fame? Well now we just did and you can view some of his most precious tickets and credentials today in the SuperFan exhibit in Springfield.
We had to ask the all-time basketball fanatic, that if he had the opportunity to go back in time and sit courtside to relive one moment, which would it be? Without much hesitation he responded “It would have to be Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals…I told Ray after the game I was so close I could’ve blocked his shot” referring to Ray Allen’s three-point shot which ultimately helped the Heat win in a seven game series. Other notable moments was when he witnessed the young Kobe Bryant drop 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. Safe to say, Goldstein has stories that no one else has.
Overall, it was a pleasure chatting with Jim and hearing about his experience in fashion, architecture and of course…basketball. You can listen to our full conversation out on all streaming platforms.
Thank you Jim for setting the expectation high for what it means to be an NBA fan and taking the time to come on our show. I’m sure we’ll see you sit courtside plenty more times this season :).