OAKLAND — Abruptly, less than an hour before Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena, a security guard outside the lounge reserved for the Golden State Warriors’ owners spread his arms.
“Hold on, who’s this guy?’’ he snarled.
An older man with a slight stoop, a subtle strut and long, frizzy hair approached in an all-black ensemble: python-skin hat, leather jacket with colored patches, studded leather pants, leather boots and a neck scarf. The man stopped amid gawkers and stared expressionless at the security guard, who suddenly broke into a smile.
The leathered man returned the smile and suddenly they were headed to the owners’ lounge.
“Who don’t know Jimmy?’’ the security guard said.
In NBA circles, James “Jimmy’’ Goldstein, 76, is almost as recognizable as Steph Curry, LeBron James and the other star players.
Goldstein has attended thousands of NBA games — including every NBA Finals game for more than 20 years —and turned countless heads with his gaudy outfits and, customarily, young female companions in his courtside seats. His life as an NBA super-fan has been well documented. But on Sunday, during a trip from his home in Beverly Hills, Calif., to Oakland to see the Warriors play the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Finals, Goldstein shared some lesser-known facts with USA TODAY Sports.
Goldsten flies, gulp, in coach
Goldstein drove his 1961 cream-colored convertible Rolls Royce to the airport — the Los Angeles International Airport, not a private airport to board a Gulfstream or Lear Jet. Then he took his boarding-group A pass and lined up with the masses to board a Southwest Airlines flight.
That’s right, Goldstein, who said he paid $12,500 for his courtside seat for Game 2, spent almost $20,000 on the outfit he wore and said he spends more than $500,000 a year on NBA tickets, travels coach.
He said it makes him feel better about all the money he spends on tickets — virtually all of them courtside seats — which include two season tickets for the Lakers and Clippers games. He also attends about 30 playoff games a year.
“The cost of flying privately is ridiculously expensive,’’ Goldstein said.
Pricey tickets
The $12,500 Goldstein paid for a seat on the baseline for Game 2 equaled the most he’s ever paid for a Finals ticket, Goldstein said. He confessed he was hoping the Oklahoma City Thunder would have beaten the Warriors in the Western Conference finals because he could’ve secured Finals tickets in Oklahoma City for $2,300 apiece.
For the Finals, Golden State has priced its floor tickets at $8,500 for baseline seats and $10,000 for courtside seats.
Danger zone
It’s not uncommon to see players leap after loose balls and collide with fans in courtside seats. But in more than 50 years attending games, Goldstein has gone unscathed — almost.
Goldstein recalled the time Nate McMillan of the Seattle Supersonics was bearing down on him more than 20 years ago as he chased a loose ball.
“He landed right on top of me, along with the girl sitting next to me who happened to be the 'Playmate of the Month,' he said. He landed with so much force that the chairs toppled backwards and we both landed on our backs. But neither one of us was hurt.’’
Home sweet home
Goldstein’s house designed by architect John Lautner is almost as famous as he is. Two years ago, Rihanna held a birthday party at the estate that includes a nightclub, a pool in which Pam Anderson was photographed emerging nude and a panoramic view of Los Angeles. It also includes something else few know.
In Goldstein’s bedroom, there’s a hidden scale. Step on the floor near the closet and the unsuspecting person’s weight appears on a digital screen.
“All of the girls that come here get weighed in without realizing it,’’ he said.
The clothes
Inspired by Michael Jackson’s custom-made jackets, Goldstein has dozens of his own — so many that he recently built a second closet to store them all. Just as prized are his 34 hats.
Several years ago, Goldstein said, he found a hat maker in Paris and paid $4,000 for the Python-skin hat he dons now.
“The hat is sort of the finishing touch to my ensemble,’’ he said. “It gives me that extra touch of style that sets me apart."
The hair
A rebellion against long hair prompted Goldstein to shorten his locks in the 1980s. But before the decade ended, he had grown his hair out again.
No need for a hair styist to trim the frizzy mane that looks like a distant cousin of Don King’s hairdo.
“I haven’t had it cut in years because it doesn’t grow very fast," Goldstein said.
Partying with the stars
Before the game on Sunday, C.J. McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers got Goldstein’s number and said he wanted to get together with him next time McCollum is in Los Angeles. He wouldn’t be the first player to party with Goldstein.
When Wilt Chamberlain played for the Lakers, according to Goldstein, they used to hit the clubs together and chased women. “I liked the tall ones and he liked the short ones,’’ Goldstein said.
He said Hakeem Olajuwon visited his Beverly Hills pad when he was playing the Houston Rockets. In fact, Goldstein added, Olajuwon had such a good time that the next day the Hall of Famer called in sick for practice.
Driving in style
There are no fleet of cars at Goldstein’s house. Just the ’61 Rolls that he likes to drive with the top down.
“Bought it in ’71 and it’s the only car I’ve had since,’’ he said.
He keeps the Alpine radio tuned into NBA Radio and at full blast. Like a good referee, Goldstein suffers some hearing impairment.
Goldstein's style
Although his father objected to the long sideburns Goldstein grew when he was growing up in Milwaukee, Goldstein said he had permission to develop his own sense of fashion. He said he considered himself a fashion leader by high school.
“I would say I’m more extreme now,’’ Goldstein said. “I’m willing to try anything. I have no qualms about how other people view my style. I feel like I set the rules. Not the other people. I’m a fashion icon, so it’s really up to me to decide what’s right.
“In my younger days, there would be a lot of dirty looks from men who didn’t understand or appreciate how I dress. …
“I prefer to be around younger people. They’re more fun to be with. They’re more attractive. And the girls I usually go out with are all in their 20s.’’
The monetary mystery
Goldstein said his wealth has been overestimated. “Just say that I’m not a billionaire,’’ he requested.
The evidence he’s telling the truth: Goldstein said David Stern once encouraged him to consider buying the Milwaukee Bucks and said the team might be for sale for $200 million. But Goldstein said he didn’t have enough money and was unable to put together a group of investors before the opportunity fell through.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford and his MBA from UCLA, Goldstein said, he went to work for an investment firm. But within a decade, he left the firm and made undisclosed investments that have paid a lifestyle he said is fair to describe as hedonistic.
“My goal has been to have enough money to do what I want do and to enjoy life to the fullest, not to be a workaholic,’’ he said.
Being Jimmy Goldstein
The courtside seats for the Lakers, Clippers and NBA Finals games, the bachelor pad of boyhood fantasies, the beautiful models, it’s just as awesome as it looks, Goldstein assured.
“The only stress in my life is getting to the airport on time for the next game,’’ he said.
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