The past week in basketball featured Ja Morant’s return, a game-winning shot from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Damian Lillard joining the 20,000 points club.
But perhaps none of these stars caught fans’ attention quite like Brodie the Goldendoodle. The 80-pound social media star was courtside at Crypto.com Arena on Monday with his owner, Cliff Brush Jr., Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick and Spike Lee to watch the Los Angeles Lakers take on the New York Knicks.
“A recurring theme we heard all night — from the announcers, the refs, the season-ticket holders who’ve been there for 20-plus years — everyone was saying they’ve never seen this before their entire life,” Brush Jr. told the Los Angeles Times. “So it definitely seemed like a first. Maybe there’s been little dogs that people just don’t even notice, but you can’t miss Brodie.”
Brush Jr. said that he and Brodie needed a security escort to get to their seats because so many fans recognized the famous furry friend. He was a Jumbotron darling all night and even won a dance battle.
The four-year-old dog, whose social media handle is @BrodieThatDood, has 6.6 million followers on TikTok and an additional million on Instagram. He dresses up, plays around and does skits like ‘Rating Pro Athletes on their Dog Friendliness’ and a spoof of ‘Bad Boys’ called ‘Good Boys.’
Brodie and Brush Jr. live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Brush Jr. started posting videos of his canine companion when he was a puppy. He said the content got so much attention that he was able to quit his job as an accountant to run the Brodie show.
“Everywhere we go, Brodie is taking pictures, signing paw-tographs, especially in airports and large crowded places,” Brush Jr. said.
The Lakers appearance, which was sponsored by Bibigo, the Lakers’ jersey sponsor, was just one of many sports outings the labradoodle has participated in. Brodie has also played fetch for the first pitch at a Miami Marlins game, created content with the Miami Heat and attended a St. Louis City SC match to promote the stadium’s dog-friendly space.