It’s at least a $ 50 million view from James Goldstein’s terrace, all of Los Angeles glistening in the sunlight under one of the city’s most iconic homes. And for 80-year-old Goldstein, it’s the perfect place for a television.
Sure, there’s a 130-plus-inch screen inside Goldstein’s lair that would be perfect for NBA basketball, but with the sun out and games on about 10 hours a day, why not get some sun too. ?
“I have that vision and the game at the same time,” Goldstein said in a phone call last week.
But not even one of the best ways to watch basketball in the world – and the Goldstein terrace “has to be one of them,” according to an NBA executive who has been there – can satisfy the multimillionaire’s most consuming hobby. He’s addicted to NBA games.
And he’d happily trade his eight-figure view for a spot in the Orlando, Florida, championship bubble.
For the first time in two decades, the NBA playoffs will take place without Goldstein on the sidelines, without his high-fashion leather jacket and pants, hats and neckerchiefs that have made him one of the NBA’s most recognizable fans. .
In a normal year, he would have seen an average of 35 playoff games. And this year, he will almost certainly not attend anyone.
“I can’t really understand what it will do to me,” he said.
James Goldstein watches as players warm up before Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Oakland.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
In a reminder sent to teams on Wednesday, the NBA outlined its plans for players to invite guests into the bubble following the first round of the playoffs. According to the rules, players can only invite family members or people with whom they have long-standing relationships. Business partners and agents are among those prohibited. So too, it seems, are the real estate moguls who need their NBA fix.
Asked about whether Goldstein will attend the playoffs at some point, an NBA executive said things should change dramatically.
It’s not just about going to basketball games and claiming the sidelines he owns near the visiting bench for Clippers and Lakers games. It is more than a multimillion-dollar jet set that has nowhere to go to the jet set. As with so many people, this is a person unable to enjoy some of their most precious connections due to the coronavirus.
James Goldstein shakes hands with Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap after a game against the Lakers on December 22, 2019 at the Staples Center.
(Michael Owen Baker / Associated Press)
“I miss him tremendously,” Goldstein said. “Because for me going to a match is more than just the experience of watching a match – because I have developed such a close relationship with all the visiting teams. I talk to the players before the game, I talk to the coaches. I speak to the media. I have such a close relationship to everyone in the NBA. And now suddenly, I’m cut off from that. “
It’s common to see the NBA’s biggest stars break away from their pre-game warm-ups to chat with Goldstein before games, often posing for photos with him. For some, it’s not really a big game unless Goldstein is present, dressed in black leather with a young model on his arm.
James Goldstein shakes hands with Utah guard Donovan Mitchell before the start of a first round playoff game between the Jazz and the Houston Rockets on April 22, 2019 in Salt Lake City.
(Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)
Goldstein was invited by the Clippers to become a virtual fan for one of their seeding games, but after initially accepting he found the technology too complicated.
“I started watching what they are showing on TV with these virtual fans. And I think it’s so ridiculous that I’m glad I wasn’t able to understand it, to be honest with you,” Goldstein said.
That might be best because there is unlikely to be a less virtual NBA fan than Goldstein. He participated in 39 playoff games in a single postseason. He would be on the sideline at night and on a southwest flight in the morning, bound for the best game tonight.
His love of the NBA – a love that dates back 65 years when Goldstein worked with the Milwaukee Hawks radio team, helping to maintain the stats – has grown to a $ 600,000-a-year habit.
“I’m usually on a plane every single day during the first two rounds of the playoffs,” he said.
But now, as with many, he is on the ground. And he keeps hoping that when the biggest games of the NBA season are played, he’ll somehow be there in person, able to enjoy basketball with his NBA family.
“I’ll try to pull every string I can,” Goldstein said.
