Alex Rodriguez and Hollywood filmmaker Spike Lee in Yankees gear bring star power to NCAA basketball game

Modified Mar 26, 2025 03:00 GMT

NBA: New York Knicks at Los Angeles Clippers - Source: Imagn — Alex Rodriguez and Hollywood filmmaker Spike Lee in Yankees gear bring star power to NCAA basketball game (Image Source: IMAGN)

Former New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez is known to be a good friend with filmmaker Spike Lee, who's also one of the most famous diehard fans of the most successful franchise in MLB history. Moreover, the two share a huge passion for basketball.

Alex Rodriguez and Spike Lee have been spotted attending several NBA games together, including the 2009 NBA Finals. The pair also appeared together in an episode of The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon a few years back.

On Monday, Rodriguez shared a photograph of himself and Lee on Instagram, with the pair seated in the front row for the NCAA basketball game between St. John's and Creighton. Incidentally, both men were wearing Yankees hats, with Lee donning a scarlet-colored piece with white details while Rodriguez wore a full black one.

"Basketball legend, my guy," A-Rod wrote about Lee in his post.

Spike Lee has directed more than 20 feature films over his three-decade-long career in the industry, including Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), Inside Man (2006) and BlacKkKlansman (2019). He received the Honorary Academy Award in 2015, becoming the youngest person to do so.

Moreover, Lee is a massive supporter of the New York Knicks and the New York Yankees. He was a guest at the star-studded retirement bash of Alex Rodriguez in 2016. Lee is reported to be involved in the production of a documentary about former Yankees captain Derek Jeter.

Alex Rodriguez discusses popularity of MLB in Japan

Alex Rodriguez works as an analyst for the postseason coverage on Fox (Image Source: IMAGN)

The new baseball campaign kicks off with Opening Day on Thursday, but the regular season has already started for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs after they faced each other in the 2025 Tokyo Series in Japan.

The event was a huge success, as local fans packed Tokyo Dome to watch Shohei Ohtani and other Japanese stars in MLB uniforms. Alex Rodriguez offered his thoughts on the popularity of the game in Japan.

"One of the interesting things about Japan is how much they love baseball. I was just there a few months ago. It's such a great partnership between Japan and the US, it's the love for baseball.

"And Ohtani sits right in the middle of it. I mean to think that we had 75 million people watching just last year in the Baseball Classic when Japan played the US and Ohtani struck out Mike Trout. It was one of the most memorable at-bats."

Rodriguez had joined the New York Yankees following a trade deal with the Texas Rangers in 2004. He had recorded his first base hit for the team in Japan in their Opening Day encounter against the Tampa Bay Rays.

About the author

Paranjoy Goswami (Bobo) is a baseball reporter at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience writing with publications such as Eagle Bet, India Bet and Paradine.

He has provided full coverage, match previews and betting tips on major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, English Premier League, German Bundesliga, ICC World Cup, Indian Premier League and several others.

Bobo grew up supporting the Red Sox but has also been on the Phillies bandwagon for the past couple of years. He also roots for the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners.

While he hasn't played much baseball, Bobo's fascination with the sport started with an 8-bit Nintendo game, where he picked up the basic rules. He started watching live MLB matches on TV about 20 years ago and his love for baseball just grew by leaps and bounds from then on.

Bobo's favorite player was probably Tim Wakefield as not only was he the best knuckleball pitcher of his time, but he was also a Red Sox legend, an outstanding team player and a great human being. Among the current generation, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper get the nod.

Bobo's favorite moment in baseball history was when the Red Sox beat the Yankees before breaking their World Series curse in 2004. That said, Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier was the most important.

Outside of baseball, Bobo's interests include literature, comics, world history, science fiction, satire, classic movies, PC games, pets, playing sports, cycling, traveling, sightseeing and quiet reflection.

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Edited by Bhargav