Sporting snakeskin boots, a green, red and white leather jacket and large-brimmed blue hat and scarf, Goldstein strolled around the court before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs at the SBC Center. One by one, the players halted their warmup routines to greet Goldstein , whose postseason ubiquity has earned him the unofficial title of world's No. 1 basketball fan.

"I would always ask who he was because of how he would be dressed," Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "It seemed he was always there."

San Antonio tonight, New Jersey tomorrow. Goldstein has attended 34 postseason games in nine cities this year and he'll be at every one the rest of the way, including the final game when the Spurs' Tim Duncan or the Nets' Jason Kidd lifts the championship trophy.

Goldstein, who lives near Los Angeles, has a pair of front-row season tickets for the Clippers and one seat for all of the Lakers' games at the Staples Center, where he's more of a staple than Jack Nicholson. ESPN even included him in its documentary on the Clippers.

"He's a real character. He adds some spice to games," said former Lakers All-Star and executive Jerry West, now president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies. "He knows people everywhere."

Goldstein estimates he spends more than $150,000 a year on basketball, including tickets, hotels and airfare. He pays about $74,000 for his Lakers' seat, though he gets freebies in some arenas from NBA owners who've become his friends.

His accommodations on the road are as plush as his courtside seats. During New Jersey's home games in the NBA Finals, he unpacks his couture wardrobe at New York's Mercer Hotel, where rates range from $395 to $620 a night.

Goldstein is vague when asked how much money he has or where it came from. His business card notes that he specializes in fashion, architecture and basketball, though not necessarily in that order.
"Basketball is No. 1," Goldstein said in an interview before the opener of the best-of- championship series, which was tied 2-2 heading into Friday night's game in New Jersey. "I probably spend more than 50 percent of my hours awake on basketball."

Goldstein , who declines to give his age but appears to be in his 50s, even has a personal Web site that's devoted to his passions. The site, jamesfgoldstein.com, includes photos from a story about him in French Vogue magazine and pictures of his house, which has been featured in numerous publications.

"I've known Jimmy a long time and he's just a nice man," former NBA All-Star Charles Barkley said. "If there's a fan who's been there all the time, you develop a bond with him."

Goldstein also has a connection with San Antonio's Bruce Bowen, who stopped to chat with him after scoring a career-high 27 points in a Western Conference final game against the Dallas Mavericks.

"We talk every time he's around," Bowen said. "We met a few years ago. He's a big, big fan."

Goldstein's love affair with basketball began as a child growing up in Milwaukee during the early 1950s. One of his father's friends was the radio announcer for the NBA's Milwaukee Hawks and invited Goldstein to keep statistics.

"Once I did that, I was totally hooked," Goldstein said.
Though the Hawks moved to St. Louis in 1955, their departure didn't dampen Goldstein's zeal for the game.

"I got powerful radios and tuned in distant stations, even though there was a lot of static," Goldstein said.

Goldstein , who moved to Los Angeles in 1962, said he considered buying Wilt Chamberlain's house as an investment after the NBA Hall of Famer died in 1999 but scrapped the plan because it needed too much work. He also has flirted with the idea of becoming an NBA owner, but decided he didn't need the aggravation.

"I'm having so much fun without the responsibility," said Goldstein , who is pulling for the Spurs in the finals because of his allegiance to the Western Conference. "I'm not sure it's wise to take a position where I might have to worry."

Goldstein walks around NBA arenas with an all-access pass around his neck. It's a gift from Stern, who can't recall exactly when or where he met the league's biggest fan.
"Nobody remembers - you just know Jimmy," Stern said. "That's the way it is."

Jim Goldstein of Los Angeles, regarded as the NBA's unofficial No. 1 fan, is pulling for the Spurs.