Even though there's a lot of hype surrounding House Of The Dragon Season 3, it's easy to forget just how popular Game Of Thrones was to many. NBA fans recently received a reminder though, following a priceless interaction between a player who just happened to spot Nikolaj Coster-Waldau hanging out courtside during a game.
Toronto Raptors player RJ Barrett might not remember a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers years from now, but he might remember when he randomly saw Jaime Lannister in the middle of a game. Check out the moment he spotted the Game Of Thrones star below and the hilarious double-take he does:
RJ Barrett x Jamie Lannister pic.twitter.com/mGsDtMtzXtNovember 11, 2024
I have to wonder if Barrett just finished binging Game Of Thrones with a Max subscription, because I'm not sure I would've recognized Nikolaj Coster-Waldau so easily. Then again, Lakers courtside tickets aren't cheap, so it's probably much easier to recognize someone when you narrow down a list of who could reasonably afford to grab the same seats as Billy Crystal and Jack Nicholson.
The head turn is great, but it doesn't do the full moment justice. Fortunately, we have an alternate angle of the interaction that fully captures Barrett's surprise and shows he did recognize Coster-Waldau pretty quickly:
“Game of Thrones”RJ Barrett is just like all of us 😂 pic.twitter.com/JgoTV2jHP7November 11, 2024
Unfortunately, recognizing the Kingslayer didn't grant RJ Barrett the strength he needed to topple "King James" (LeBron James) and the Lakers. Perhaps if he had been willing to do some of the wild things Jaime did, it might've been possible, but considering Nikolaj Coster-Waldau couldn't watch some of his character's scenes, I can see why Barrett didn't. Plus, I've never seen a window to push anyone out of courtside at a basketball game.
Now, readers might be curious about what the Game Of Thrones actor is up to after the show, and let me be sure to say Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has kept busy. Beyond appearing in a few movies and TV shows since the show ended, you might've missed his scene in The Flash. He was also in the great Apple TV+ series The Last Thing He Told Me, which is worth watching for those who haven't had a chance to watch it yet.
Going back to this game, I love seeing moments like these, because they remind me that even some of the best athletes in the world have interests just like we do. It's so silly to type out, but when we only see them play sports and talk about said sports in interviews, I can see how people make that mistake. Now I just want to hear about how much Nikolaj Coster-Waldau enjoys basketball and whether he was there in support of the Lakers or the Raptors.
Game of Thrones is available to stream on Max, and if you're looking to relive one of the most popular shows of the previous decade, now is a great time to jump back in. I'll admit that I've been curious to do that myself with the 2024 TV schedule calming down a bit.