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          Basketball Hall of Fame to honor Lee, Nicholson, other superfans

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          • Chris Herring, ESPN Senior WriterOct 4, 2024, 07:41 PM ET

          The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday that it will honor film director Spike Lee, actors Jack Nicholson and Billy Crystal, and real-estate developer Alan Horwitz as it welcomes its Class of 2024.

          The group will be recognized during a SuperFan Gallery ceremony on Oct. 13, a few hours before the Hall ushers in its new class of legendary former players and coaches. The SuperFan Gallery, which was established in 2018, is located on the second floor of the Basketball Hall of Fame's museum.

          Lee has been a New York Knicks season-ticket holder since 1985, signing on the morning after New York won the 1985 NBA draft lottery to earn the right to draft then-Georgetown Hoyas star Patrick Ewing. Lee, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker who doubles as one of the league's most visible courtside fans, famously jawed with Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller at Madison Square Garden as the guard erupted for a 25-point fourth quarter during Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals.

          Nicholson is one of the most recognizable members of the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers fan base. He has been a season-ticket holder since the 1970s, before the team's hallowed Showtime era. The three-time Oscar winner enjoys sitting near the visiting club's bench in his trademark sunglasses and has been known to adjust his movie-shooting schedule to ensure he could make it to as many Lakers games as possible.

          Crystal grew up in New York, but his die-hard love for the LA Clippers dates back to their days as a San Diego franchise in the late 1970s. The "When Harry Met Sally" and "City Slickers" star even announced a 2018 Clippers-Lakers contest alongside longtime play-by-play man Ralph Lawler. He has been a mainstay as the team continues to vie for its first conference or league crown.

          Horwitz has been a Philadelphia 76ers season-ticket holder for 60-plus years, dating back to the 1960s when the club played its games at the Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center.