$80m Hollywood star playing Jeanie Buss goes viral in Lakers courtside appearance

The LA Lakers faced the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night inside the Crypto Arena in downtown Los Angeles. While celebrities have been ever-present in Lakers games throughout history, Kate Hudson’s appearance caught the attention of fans as she has ties with the franchise’s owner, Jeanie Buss.

Hudson, who has a net worth of $80 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, played the character Isla Gordon in the show "Running Point" - a sports comedy series based on the life of Buss, who turns from a party girl into the Lakers owner.

LA's official page on X (formerly Twitter) acknowledged her presence as she was shot while enjoying the game beside her niece Rio Hudson, who wore a LeBron James jersey on the sidelines.

“Welcome to the #LakeShow, President of the Waves, Kate Hudson!,” the team captioned.

Hudson sat courtside with her sons Ryder (21) and Bingham (13), in addition to her niece. Their appearance came after the "Running Point" series raked in 12.2 million viewers in the past week. The show started on Feb. 27 and dropped 10 episodes for its first season.

The LA Lakers did not disappoint, with the Hudsons in attendance. The team took down the Nuggets 120-108 to improve to 43-25, good for third place in the Western Conference.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves took the offensive cudgels in the game, leading the team in scoring with 31 and 22 points, respectively. LeBron James, recovering from a groin injury, supported the Lakers from the bench.

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Jeanie Buss and Kate Hudson know each other since their teenage days

Kate Hudson and Jeanie Buss revealed that they had known each other since they were teenagers, as she often took the celebrity around during hockey games.

“She was somebody that I’ve known since she was a teenager because her parents used to bring her to the L.A. Kings hockey games when I was managing the Forum, so I used to take her around,” Buss said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Buss then approved Hudson’s casting in the show since she believed she knew the ins and outs of running a sports team.

“I knew she would understand the backstage of it all and what goes on with a sports team because she understands sports,” the Lakers owner said.

Jeanie Buss became the first woman owner of an NBA team when she inherited the franchise from her father, Jerry Buss. Since then, she has steered the team to one NBA championship in 2020, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Buss oversaw the retirement of Lakers great Kobe Bryant in 2016, the signing of LeBron James in 2018 and the shocking trade for Luka Doncic last month.