James F. Goldstein (born January 5, 1940) is an American businessman who attends a large number of National Basketball Association (NBA) games, typically in courtside seats, including many home games for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. He also travels to watch games, especially during the NBA playoffs, and often attends post-game press conferences. His passion for the NBA has been featured in USA Today, the Detroit Free Press, the Canal Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and ESPN the Magazine. "He has so much invested in our sport," Former NBA commissioner David Stern said. "He probably has the largest investment of any fan in America, so we get a kick out of him. He has got quite a flair, and we love him as a sort of a superfan." Biography The son of Nanette (née Gamse) and Milwaukee department store owner, C. Ellis Goldstein, Goldstein said he began watching NBA games as a 10-year-old. At the age of 15 he was hired to keep game statistics by the Milwaukee Hawks. "Once I did that and sat courtside for the games, I was totally hooked", he said. "My entire life has been devoted to professional basketball since then. I have such a passion for the game. I think there's more athleticism displayed in basketball than in any other sport." Goldstein graduated from Nicolet High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he played on the basketball team. He then attended Stanford University and has remained in California ever since. Having attended over 2,000 games, Goldstein befriended several current and former NBA players, including Wilt Chamberlain, Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Sam Cassell, and Dennis Rodman. He claims to have no favorite team, in spite of his Lakers and Clippers season tickets. He describes himself as a fan of the NBA in general. Goldstein refuses to disclose his net worth or how he made his fortune. The Wall Street Journal speculated that Goldstein made billions in real estate (notably Century City in Los Angeles). It was reported by The Hollywood Reporter in 2020 that Goldstein made his money in mobile home parks, by "packaging groups of properties into investment vehicles and then suing municipalities...if they thwart his attempts to end rent control." Carson, California's city attorney Sunny Soltani referred to his tactics as "litigation terrorism," accused him of building his fortune "on the backs of the most vulnerable people in