Lakers Guard Has a Rather Unique Connection to Denzel Washington

Lakers guard Malik Beasley put on a show during the team’s 121–107 victory over the Suns on Friday night. With his parents sitting courtside at Crypto.com Arena, Beasley dropped 21 points as he helped lift L.A. to an important win.

After the game, the 26-year-old talked about having his parents on hand for his strong performance and revealed it wasn’t actually him who hooked his parents up with the special tickets. As it turns out, Beasley’s parents have their own A-list connection, with whom they took in the game: two-time Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington.

Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Beasley revealed it was none other than Washington who secured the seats for his parents. Beasley’s father, Michael Beasley, actually proved to be the primary connection as he has acted in various movies alongside Washington, including the award-winning Flight. 

“Those weren’t from me,” Beasley said of the tickets. “Those were from Denzel.”

Malik’s father, Michael Beasley, is an actor and has appeared in several films with Denzel Washington, including “Flight,” which nabbed Washington a nomination for an Academy Award for best actor.

I checked out Michael Beasley’s IMDB page and it’s extensive. Odds are you’ve… https://t.co/RRbtsFGgA5

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 8, 2023

Beasley’s parents picked the perfect game to come to, getting the chance to see one of their son’s best performances in a Lakers uniform. Beasley shot an efficient 7-for-14 from the field, joining Austin Reaves (22) and D’Angelo Russell (24) as the Lakers’ top scorers.

It was the first time Beasley scored 20 or more points since March 14, and the fourth time he’s done so since being dealt to Los Angeles at the NBA trade deadline.