Lakers News: Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Unpacks First LA Courtside Experience

He's a longtime Lakers maniac.

Apr 27, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the fourth quarter in game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has long been a staple at (ahem) the former Staples Center — he's been around so long, he was a staple at The Forum, too!

During a conversation with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson on the Scoop B Radio podcast prior to the NBA playoffs (when Flea's favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers, would ultimately flame out in a five-game first round series against the Denver Nuggets), Flea detailed his journey from the nosebleeds of the Forum to his perch courtside as a younger rock star.

"My mom took me in ‘75 to a Lakers game right when they got Kareem and we’re up in the nosebleeds in The Forum watching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and I just fell in love with him," Flea said. "And I’d start seeing in the newspapers different things he would say and things he would do; and it was just that hook shot and the way that he moved and the goggles… he was just this extra terrestrial being, you know? He was super smart and he was a real intellectual; he loved jazz and as a kid I wanted to be a jazz trumpet player, he talked about jazz and all that stuff and I was like, I love this guy!  And then we couldn’t afford to go to Lakers games when I was kid but as time went on, they had got Magic [Johnson] and then I started getting to the games and then it was like -- those Showtime Lakers:  Magic and Kareem and then they have Michael Cooper and Byron Scott and Mycheal Thompson… that whole team was so beautiful to me. Magic Johnson would run the fastbreak and just… didn’t know what was going to happen. I’m telling you man, it was thrilling! You couldn’t take your eyes off them and that’s when I really fell in love with being a fan of professional basketball. And one of the other things that I love about it too is that it brings out that childlike feeling, you know? It’s kind of like the more I know about basketball I get worried sometimes that I’m not going to stop acting like a little kid [laughs]... I don’t want to be a grown-up about this! [laughing] I don’t want to appreciate other players’ games, but I love being like a little kid and loving my team -- everyone else is the enemy. "

Flea was so hardcore, he at one point had a Lakers fan blog on NBA.com. The longtime season ticketholder went on to explain his initial courtside experience to Robinson.

"I can’t remember who they played, it was ‘89 or ‘90 when we signed with Warner Bros. Records; I still didn’t have the money to afford seats like that but, Mo Austin who was a great man on back then Warner Bros. Records, he had courtside center seats and he used to give them to us all the time and I’d sit center court and I couldn’t even believe it and it’s Magic and Kareem -- I can’t remember the first one, man… but I remember specifically losing mind being THAT close to the game!" Flea said. "And even now, I’ve had Lakers season tickets for 25 years or so; I’ve had courtside seats for about four or five years now and every time I sit in those seats I STILL have that feeling like, I can’t believe how amazing this is!  For anyone that loves basketball, it’s like going to the ballet or something, you know? It’s like going to see these guys are so beautiful to watch and play, I love it man. And seeing all the other players starting to appreciate other players too because I don’t want to do it because they’re my enemy? I remember they played OKC a while ago and watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just…. A beautiful game that kid has, man. That young man’s game is just beautiful and seeing all the work that goes into it, you know? Like you see someone drive the lane like him and he’s contorting his body going through the air and hanging and shooting and he’s always been talented -- yeah sure, he’s talented but you know that a million times you know he did those exercising with the diligence and the work and the studying to do it to be able to execute all of it, you know? I feel like most players, to get to the NBA your work ethic has to be immaculate just to be the 10-12th guy on the bench, you know what I mean?"

With the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea has sold an estimated 120 millions worldwide, according to Gemma Sherlock of The Machester Evening News. Most recently, the band released a pair of albums in 2022. In April 2022, "Unlimited Love" instantly hit No. 1 in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland. In October 2022, "Return of the Dream Canteen" hit "just" No. 3 in the U.S., but No. 1 in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland. The L.A. band's continued success is pretty remarkable, given that their self-titled studio debut came out 40 years ago this August.

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