Getty Beyonce and Jay Z laugh during the game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
Toronto has Drake. Golden State seems to have both Beyonce and Jay Z. The powerful entertainment couple were spotted courtside at Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Warriors and the visiting Raptors.
It was a rather expensive ticket. According to CBS Sports, a fan had to pay upwards of six figures to secure a seat for him and a friend for Game 4 on Friday. With a combined net worth of over $1 billion, paying for the hefty price tag was not going to be an issue.
Here’s a picture of the power couple at Game 3.
Jay-Z & Beyoncé courtside for Game 3 of the #NBAFinals in Oakland! #NBACelebRow
It begs the question: why were they there? There are a couple explanations.
1. A Plane Ride from Los Angeles is Only a Few Hours Long
Beyonce and Jay Z live in a $88 million mansion in Bel Air just northwest of Los Angeles. They have their own private jet, so a flight for them from Southern California to the Bay Area is not too arduous of a trek.
According to Google Flights, a plane trip between the two cities is less than an hour and a half. Take out waiting through security, and the two only need a few hours to get to Oracle Arena in Oakland.
In addition, Beyonce has been in Santa Monica for press related to her upcoming role as Nala in the live action/CGI-animated update to “The Lion King.” With that in mind, it’s not like she’s been bouncing between Los Angeles and Jay Z’s hometown of Brooklyn recently. Speaking of which, the other reason is…
2. Jay Z is Just a Major Basketball Fan
Both Beyonce and Jay Z frequently attend basketball games together. Most of the time, it was in Brooklyn to watch the Nets, the team he used to own.
In 2004, he invested $1 million in the New Jersey Nets. By the time he sold his share of the franchise in 2013, he saw a total return of $2.35 million, which combined his stake in the team as well as his ownership of the Barclays Center. He moved the franchise from Prudential Center in Newark to the new arena in Brooklyn in 2012.
He also attends basketball games, since his new business venture is sports agency. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he explained his reasoning for shifting his focus from ownership to representation.
“Our newest endeavor is committed to building the brands of professional athletes as we have done for some of today’s top music artists,” Jay-Z wrote. “For Roc Nation Sports to function at its full potential, NBA rules stipulate that I relinquish my ownership in the Brooklyn Nets.”
With that in mind, he is working with his wife to be as face forward in an industry that requires it. Game 3 of the championship series is a good place for him to be with Roc Nation Sports.
Combine that with the convenience of the trip, and the visit to Oakland makes plenty of sense.