Even professional athletes are capable of being starstruck, such as one NBA player who recently did a double-take after spotting a notorious TV show villian sitting courtside at a basketball game.
On Sunday (November 10), the Toronto Raptors were playing against the Los Angeles Lakers when forward-guard RJ Barrett discovered Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who played Jaime Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones, was sitting in the front row.
In clips circulating on TikTok, the Raptors player had successfully completed a shot when he turned around to notice Coster-Waldau staring directly at him. Barrett then turned back around, before sharing his discovery out loud.
“Game of Thrones?” he simply asked, before walking over to the free-throw line. The game may have resulted in a Raptors loss with a final score of 103 to 123, but fans were fixated on the athlete’s reaction to seeing the TV villain in real life.
“Bro felt the Kingslayers aura immediately,” one person commented on TikTok, referencing Coster-Waldau’s character. In the show, Jaime Lannister earned the nickname “Kingslayer” after he killed the “Mad King” Aeyrs Targaryen in a coup that resulted in his twin sister’s husband taking the throne.
“Bro realized you never turn your back to Kingslayer,” another commenter agreed.
Other viewers emphasized just how starstruck the NBA player seemed during the game.
“RJ’s reaction is priceless! Famous faces everywhere at the game!” one comment read, while another user wrote: “Crazy when you see an NBA player get starstruck.”
One person even mentioned that they likely would’ve had the same reaction as Barrett did, writing: “I had the same delayed reaction watching it. I said, ‘Is that one of the Lannisters?’”
@bleacherreport RJ Barrett recognized Nikolaj Coster-Waldeau at the Lakers game 😂 #nba #basketball #nbabasketball #gameofthrones
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“This is probably why players like playing in LA. Not only is there no harsh weather, but also celebrities pop up randomly,” another commenter suggested.
Although the Raptors lost, it was a successful win for LeBron James and the Lakers. Last month, James and his son Bronny made history in their opening game of the season as the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA at the same time.
“It’s always my family over everything. I’ve missed a lot of his things, so to be able to have this moment alongside my son was among the greatest gifts I’ve had,” LeBron said.
The legendary basketball player added: “That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, something I will never forget.”
“No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
Bronny also described playing alongside his father as a “crazy moment I will never forget.”
“I tried not to focus on everything that was going on around me and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny added in a post-game press conference. “But yeah, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate the Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”
