Jack Nicholson can rest easy.
Nicholson and others in the Hollywood glitterati will likely not lose their coveted Los Angeles Lakers floor seats when the team moves from the Forum in Inglewood to the new downtown Staples Center this fall.
The NBA had originally wanted to remove as many as 20 floor seats, which would have cost the Lakers as much as $820,000, to comply with an NBA policy mandating that media and broadcasters be seated on the floor, sources said.
But owner Jerry Buss and the NBA worked out a deal that would seat visiting broadcasters on the floor, home broadcasters above the action and print media behind the basket to preserve more prime seats for ticket holders.
Aside from the prospect of dealing with irate celebrities, the Lakers were concerned about lost revenue, said one source. Lakers floor seats now cost $850 each, but are likely to rise to $1,000 in the new arena.
"Jerry Buss felt so strongly about this and protecting the floor seat holders that he had to have lengthy conversions with [NBA Deputy Commissioner] Russ Granik, and together a plan was developed," said a source familiar with the situation. The Lakers and NBA officials sent floor maps of the seats back and forth between Los Angeles and New York as they tried to work out a compromise.
Tim Harris, Lakers marketing director and vice president of sales, declined to characterize the negotiations between Buss and the NBA. He said the two parties have worked out a deal in which the Lakers are hoping not to lose any floor seats.
Harris admitted there is a possibility that the team will lose "a few" and that some floor seat holders may be shuffled around.
Brian McIntyre, NBA senior vice president of communications, said, "I think the impact will be minimal, but there is a chance that they could lose some."
McIntyre, who was involved in the discussions, said the league developed the media floor seat policy several years ago, and that Granik and NBA Commissioner David Stern want to make sure the media sees what is going on "because they are the conduit to the fans."
Some teams that occupied older arenas, including the Lakers, were "grandfathered in" with the understanding that they would have to comply with the policy as they moved into new arenas, he said.
Harris said anxious floor seat holders have been calling "like crazy" to find out where they will be seated in the new Staples Center.
Harris wouldn't discuss where specific celebrities — who include Dyan Cannon, Jim Carrey and Denzel Washington — might be moved.
But Harris did say that Nicholson, "our best-known Laker fan," will likely maintain his spot near the visiting team's bench in the new arena.
"Depending on what comes back on the final floor plan, Jack's exact position may move slightly," Harris said, "but our hope is to put Jack back to the same sight line he currently enjoys."
