Jack Nicholson touched basketball and movie fans with a rare public appearance at an NBA knockout game.

The actor, who turned 86 last week, was in the crowd when the Los Angeles Lakers played the Memphis Grizzlies at their home field on Friday (April 28).

Nicholson sat in his usual chair at Crypto.com Arena for the occasion — marking his first time attending since last season’s opening game in October 2021.

Joined by his son Ray Nicholson, Once flew over the cuckoo’s nest the star watched the game from his familiar position near the opposing bench.

Upon arriving at the arena, Nicholson shook hands with basketball team executives and spoke to reporters, who greeted him with “welcome back.” He also hugged star player LeBron James before the game started.

Nicholson first got a season ticket for the Lakers in 1970 and has long been one of the team’s most popular fans. Throughout his career, he has known to tweak his filming schedule to ensure that he can watch every important Lakers game.

Nicholson even made occasional appearances on the field when he strongly disagreed with an official’s call.

With the movie star being a die-hard fan of the team, Nicholson’s long absence from the field was noticed.

Nicholson has lived a more reclusive life in recent years. Earlier this month, fans of the actor defended him after unflattering pictures of him were published in a British tabloid.

Actor, also known for his role in shine And The departedwas seen wearing an orange t-shirt and looking sleepy on the balcony of his Beverly Hills home.

Prior to that, Nicholson had not appeared in public for 18 months.

His last film role was in 2010, when Nicholson co-starred with Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd in the romantic comedy. How do you know.